


A to Z

by moeblobmegane



Category: Free!
Genre: (for harurin), (for soumako), Alternate Universe - Orphanage, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mascots, Mutual Pining, Parenthood, Slow Burn, Super Fusion Doppelganger
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-30
Updated: 2018-12-15
Packaged: 2019-07-20 18:03:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 27,053
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16142594
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moeblobmegane/pseuds/moeblobmegane
Summary: Sousuke's best friend Rin forces him to attend their company's charity event as its CEO. There, he meets Nitori Aiichirou, a young asthmatic who reminds him of the joy his company's mascots bring. // Rin gets invested in becoming a Big Brother for the Little Paradise Children's Home, and if it also means spending a lot of time with Haruka, well, it's just a coincidence.[Odd numbered chapters are Sousuke-centered, even numbers are Rin-centered.]





	1. A is for Amusement Parks

**Author's Note:**

  * For [pinkblondie](https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkblondie/gifts).



> Finally!!! SouPapa AU!!!!! I've been dreaming about this with Naya for _years_ now. It's our go-to fluff universe, and I can finally share it with you!!!!! The chapters are short and sweet, since there will be 26 ficlets for this one.
> 
> As said in the summary, odd numbered chapters are Sousuke-centered, even numbers are Rin-centered. If, for some reason, you don't want to read about one or the other, I think it works that way, too. Of course, to experience it fully, please consider reading all chapter :)
> 
> Since this is the first chapter, it has a smattering of both.
> 
> Welcome to Yacchan's Kid Fic Month~!

Sousuke has a neutral opinion of amusement parks. Since he is the CEO of a company that primarily deals on building and managing them, he has to like it to some degree, but it also means he is very particular about the amusement parks he goes to. He gets nitpicky, or so Rin says. It’s not his fault that his job makes him analyse rides and mascots more than ordinary people do. It’s how he was raised.

Mizushima Sleepy Forest is their newest amusement park, and Rin planned a whole charity event centered on letting an orphanage have free access to all the rides a day before the official opening. Some pictures will be taken and printed in the local newspaper. In places like this, good will for the community is appreciated even more than other modes of promotion.

It’s a solid plan.

“I can hear you thinking,” Rin complains, walking over to his side. Sousuke immediately has the urge to run to the other side of the park as soon as he sees what Rin is wearing. For some reason, he is clad in a full Super Fusion Doppelganger suit minus the helmet. It fits him perfectly and is exceptionally-made, from the sleek black accent lines and violet markings to the slightly shiny texture of the spandex. On his feet are winged boots that actually lights up when he walks.

“What.”

Rin grins.

“No, seriously, _what_.”

“Children love this stuff!” Rin says, spreading his arms and spinning around to show off the form-fitting suit. “I look like a hero!”

“You look stupid,” Sousuke says, frowning. “That isn’t even related to this park. This park is animal-themed and--”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Rin huffs, “but heroes are _cool_ in every situation. They’ll like this.”

“They don’t need to like you. They only need to enjoy the park.”

Rin crosses his arms and stares at him, his expression dripping with disappointment. “Did you forget the part where you and I are supposed to be helpers today?”

Sousuke narrows his eyes at his ridiculous best friend and Chief Administrative Officer. He honestly thought Rin was joking when he put that in the memo. He thought Rin was just baiting Haruka—Sousuke's Executive Assistant—by putting that in, making their jobs harder than it should be. Rin likes to do annoying things to see how Haruka will react; it's his weird hobby.

“Did you even read the memo?”

“Of _course_ I read the memo. Haruka wouldn’t let me miss anything.” He’s the one who said this charity event was a ‘good idea’ and ‘not as over the top as Rin’s usual ones’. Sousuke _believes_ in his executive assistant. Haruka’s the best at his job.

Rin smiles, and it’s that smile that only shows up when he’s thinking fondly of Haruka.

“What?”

“Haruka’s the one who proposed this orphanage for the event,” Rin says.

What? Sousuke cannot imagine Haruka doing that. He’s the kind of person who does things well, but never does anything more than that. He is exceptional at his job but never accommodating. He doesn’t _propose_ _plans_. He rejects them with vicious bluntness.

“When did he even--” Sousuke suddenly remembers the two of them having lunch at Haruka’s desk a week ago. He teased Rin a lot about that, and never even wondered why Haruka would agree when they’ve been pining for each other for _years_ already without any sign of progress.

Of course.

Of course they found a common goal in making Sousuke’s life more difficult.

Sousuke is working with traitors.

“Why this orphanage?” Sousuke asks, because that’s the one thing he can’t understand.

Rin shrugs. “That’s what I’m trying to figure out, too.”

“Is that why you’re dressed like a weirdo?”

“Shut up. You don’t appreciate my dedication to the art.” Rin wipes imaginary lint off his suit. “The children will love me.”

Sousuke doesn’t know why he needs a hero suit for that. Everyone who has ever met Rin loved him immediately. Sousuke knows for a fact that the senior board members, who were opposing him when he was instated as the CEO of the company, was won over when Rin threw a party at Sousuke’s house. He also knows that Rin still gets asked to visit their former swim club even though it’s been almost a decade since they graduated. Rin is a hit wherever he goes.

“I don’t even like children,” Sousuke groans.

“It’ll be fine,” Rin says, unhelpfully, patting him on the back. “If you can win over foreign investors, I’m sure you can win over these children.”

 

Sousuke, Rin, and the other employees from their company are introduced as Big Siblings who will accompany the children through the day. Twenty-five children of varying ages, ranging from five years old to twelve, are then set free into their medium-sized amusement park. The Big Siblings try to spread out to supervise the kids as much as they can.

 

Ten minutes later, Sousuke is in the middle of a forest-like dark ride without anyone else in sight.

He is lost.

In the middle of his own amusement park.

Which he helped build from the start.

Yeah, that sounds just about right.

At least he’s old enough now that he’s less likely to be kidnapped, unlike the dozen of times he got lost as a child.

With the zen of someone who’s been lost a dozen times in the past few months alone, he wanders around searching for the exit. He’s sure he’ll find a way out somehow. And if he takes a leisurely walk that takes up time away from being a helper, well… They all know how easily he gets lost. No one will think he’s slacking.

He’s deep in thought about his revenge plans against Rin and Haruka when he hears someone sniffling. This attraction is a calming walk through a night-like forest. There’s only animatronics here based on nocturnal animals and some very specific characters from the anime they sponsored last spring. It’s one of the most calming places in the park.

That means whoever is crying is probably lost, like him.

And the only children here are from the orphanage. Ugh. Guess Sousuke has to put on his Big Siblings pants and comfort this kid.

He follows the sound, finding the source behind a fake bush at the side of the path. A small child, perhaps five or six years old, with silvery gray hair and pudgy tear-stained cheeks, sits there on the ground hugging his knees to his chest. He looks so small and vulnerable, and Sousuke almost wants to step away and find someone else to fix this. Rin will be able to do something about this.

But then the boy looks up, sees Sousuke, and immediately freezes.

“Are you lost?” Sousuke asks, with the most gentle voice he can muster.

The boy shakes his head immediately. He wipes at his cheeks and sniffles some more, shaking slightly. He looks _afraid_. Sousuke sits down a few feet from him, slouching down to look smaller and less imposing.

“Do you remember me? The orphanage director introduced me earlier.”

Looking up, the boy stares at him for a long while before saying, “Yama-- um. The boss.”

“You can call me Sou.”

“Sou’nii-chan?” he asks timidly.

“If you’re not lost, then why are you here?” Sousuke asks. He doesn’t really know how to make him less afraid. The only thing he knows how to do is solve problems, so that’s what he’ll focus on. “Did you get separated from everyone?”

“I have a map,” the boy says, shifting around and rummaging through a small bag at his side. He pulls out a map of the amusement park, the one they give out at the entrance. “I know how to go back.”

“Then why are you crying?”

The boy’s hand clenches, crumpling the map. He looks down and hugs his knees closer. He looks like he’s going to cry again.

Great job, Sousuke. Way to make the situation worse.

“Ah! What’s-- What’s your name? I didn’t get your name. Sorry, that was impolite of me.”

The boy looks up at him with wide eyes, seemingly surprised into not crying. “Aiichirou,” he says, slowly and overly pronounced like he’s imitating someone else.

“Nice to meet you, Aiichirou,” Sousuke says.

Aiichirou’s eyes widen almost comically. “No one calls me that,” he says, quiet and awed.

Sousuke blinks. “It’s… your name?”

“Everyone calls me Ai-chan,” he explains. “Because my name is too long.” He says that second part with a slight change of tone, a little mocking as if he’s had people tease him about it.

“Do you want me to call you Ai-chan?”

Aiichirou shakes his head immediately. It almost looks frantic. “No! It’s fine! I like my name. My mom gave it to me.”

“You’ve met your mom?” Sousuke wonders if this is a landmine he just stepped on.

“No,” Aiichirou answers, and Sousuke isn’t sure if that’s good or bad. His tone doesn’t reveal much. “Mako’nii told me he met her when she left me.”

“Mako’nii?”

Aiichirou brightens up, smiling wide as he explains, “He’s been with the orphanage _forever_ and he’s everyone’s big brother and he helps us in everything and he’s really, _really_ nice!”

‘Poor guy’ is Sousuke’s first thought, because as far as he knows, the goal of an orphanage is to get the children to better homes. If that guy has been with the orphanage forever, that means he wasn’t ever adopted. That must suck. Then again, he probably has a positive attitude if he’s still nice and helpful despite all that.

“When the other kids are playing outside, he stays with me and Rei-chan so we can watch Mizushimashima Family in the TV room! He draws with us too, but he’s bad at it,” Aiichirou continues.

“You like Mizushimashima Family?” Sousuke can’t help but perk up as well. Mizushimashima family was his first project when he was still starting in the company, and now it has this Amusement Park, famous merch that sells out often, and a regular anime. He will always be proud of that project.

Aiichirou nods enthusiastically, smile wide. He looks relaxed now, no sign of that fear he had earlier.

“Who’s your favorite character?”

“Mizutaro!” Aiichirou raises both arms in excitement. “He cries a lot but he works soooo hard and he never gives up!” His smile is almost blinding when he adds, “The others don’t like him as much but I really love him!”

Sousuke laughs. “Do you wanna know a secret?”

Aiichirou unconsciously leans in and goes quiet, expression solemn. He nods.

“Mizutaro is my favorite, too,” Sousuke says. “My best friend is just like him.”

“Your best friend?”

“Did you see the Big Brother they introduced earlier? The one in a Super Fusion costume?”

“Yes! The hero!”

So apparently Rin’s plan worked well, if Aiichirou’s star-eyed expression is any indication. Sousuke is going to be remembered by these kids as _the boss_ while Rin is _the hero_.

“He’s my best friend. He cries a lot but he works hard, too.” Mizutaro is literally based off of Rin, but Aiichirou doesn’t need to know that. Sousuke knows the value of keeping the magic alive.

Aiichirou looks even more awed. “I want to be like Mizutaro,” he says, voice quiet again. “I cry a lot but I give up because I’m not strong and I have _asthma_.” Again with the over-pronunciation.

“Were you crying because of that?” Sousuke sincerely hopes Aiichirou didn’t have an asthma attack alone in here. Either way, Sousuke really wants to talk to the orphanage about the fact that someone with a health problem was left alone and not supervised enough.

“No,” Aiichirou says. Sousuke breathes a sigh of relief. “I dropped this, so I came back,” he says, taking out a little black stuffed toy cat. It’s the sailor moon one. “But I don’t think they heard me say I was going so…”

“You’re scared to come back?”

Aiichirou starts shaking a little bit again. “It’s bad to wander,” he whispers.

“Well…” Sousuke looks down at the map in Aiichirou’s hands and gets an idea. “I’m the boss, and I got lost, so you were just gone for a long time because you’ll help me get back.”

Aiichirou blinks up at him. “That’s lying,” he says.

“No, I’m really lost,” Sousuke says, sincerely. “Can you help me get back to this part?” He points at the food court, where they’re all supposed to meet at lunch. “I’m sure they’ll forgive you if they see that you helped me.”

“You’re really lost?” Aiichirou asks. “But you’re the boss!”

Sousuke has no idea how that’s connected. He nods anyway. “Will you help me?”

Standing up slowly, Aiichirou nods like he’s been given the most important mission of all. He packs away his stuffed toy and looks down at the map with adorable concentration.

“Let’s go!” he says. Sousuke follows.

 

Twenty minutes of walking later—with a few breaks in between because Aiichirou wasn’t kidding when he said he had weak lungs—they arrived at the food court where most adults are helping the kids eat at the tables. One particular table gets Sousuke’s attention, because he sees Rin sitting on it with about ten children huddled around him. The table is almost laughably full, but they’re all staring at Rin with enraptured attention.

Dramatically, Rin gestures to Sousuke and announces, “See? My Fusion Phone was right! The boss is here!”

The children at the table, and a few adults from other tables, clap in unison.

“What.” Sousuke should really just give up on understanding his best friend ever.

A blonde boy stands up and runs over to him, taking his hand and dragging him over to the table. Sousuke immediately takes Aiichirou’s hand so he doesn’t lose him.

“Doppelganger has a tracker on you because he’s a _hero_ ,” the boy explains, pointing to Rin’s phone (which has a phone cover that makes it look like a Fusion Phone) in the middle of the table. It has the Find Your Phone app open. Rin always uses it to find Sousuke, since he’s the one tasked with finding Sousuke whenever he’s lost.

“How cool,” Sousuke says flatly.

“Uwah!” Aiichirou says at the same time. It’s not loud enough to be heard over the other children’s comments and gushing but Sousuke hones in on his voice. “It’s a Fusion Phone!”

Sousuke tugs Aiichirou away from the chaotic table, ignoring Rin’s calls, and walks over to an empty table at the other side. “Who are you supposed to go back to?” he asks Aiichirou.

“Go back to?” Aiichirou asks. He hums to himself for a moment before he says, “Mako’nii has lunch.”

“Can you see him here?” Sousuke gestures to the whole food court.

It takes Aiichirou a minute, but he finally sees his Mako’nii at one table with a few children around him. Aiichirou brightens up and drags Sousuke in that direction.

As they get closer, Sousuke notices a few things. Mako has short olive-colored hair and a kind face. He’s talking to the kids and listening to their stories, all the while helping them eat lunch. When two boys fight over a sausage, Mako takes one from his own lunchbox to give them. He also looks like a giant teddy bear, tall and muscular but with an aura that makes Sousuke think he gives great hugs.

Mako is also, at the very least, Sousuke’s age. That wasn’t what Sousuke expected, honestly. With the way Aiichirou talks about him, Sousuke has been imagining someone younger.

“Mako’nii!” Aiichirou shouts, his voice unexpectedly loud like he cannot contain his excitement.

Mako looks up with wide eyes, moving off his chair and running to Aiichirou as soon as he hears his voice. “Ai-chan! Where have you been? Sasabe-san’s searching for you.” He kneels down in front of the boy, sighing in relief.

Aiichirou looks down, chastised. “I dropped Luna.”

“And then he helped me find my way back,” Sousuke adds, before Mako can start scolding.

Mako looks up in surprise like he only noticed Sousuke right then. He blushes. “Um,” he says, then scrambles to stand up, dusting off his pants. He looks embarrassed for some reason. “Hi! You’re Sou-- ah, the boss. Nice to meet you. Did you find Ai? Thank you! I’m Makoto Tachibana.”

Sousuke almost wants to ask why Makoto is panicking. He looks like he’s meeting with the principal. Wait, are the orphanage staff scared of him? That’s awful. He tries not to scare people who aren’t from his company.

“He found me,” Sousuke corrects. “I was lost.”

Makoto stares at him. “In… your own amusement park?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh… okay?” Makoto asks, and it looks like he really doesn’t believe Sousuke’s story.

“I’m not kidding,” Sousuke insists. “Ask Rin. I get lost a lot.” He wants to make sure Aiichirou doesn't get in trouble.

“I’ve heard about it,” Makoto says, surprising Sousuke. “I just didn’t think it was that bad?”

Sousuke laughs. “It is.” He pauses then, as Makoto’s words registered in his mind. “You’ve heard about it?”

“Ah! Um.” Makoto laughs awkwardly, waving a hand in front of him dismissively. “Haruka is my friend...? He talks about you a lot.”

“Oh…” That explains so much. “That’s why he-- Huh. Thanks. I needed to know that.”

“You’re welcome?” Makoto says, clearly confused about why Sousuke is thanking him. “Thank you for… letting Ai-chan help you?”

“He’s the one who helped me.” Sousuke looks to the side where Aiichirou is still patiently waiting for them to finish talking. That boy is the most polite child Sousuke has ever met, and a part of Sousuke wants to ask if it's manners he learned or if it's anxiety making him like that. He's curious beyond anything. “Is Aiichirou eating with you?”

“Yes. He’s in my group.” Makoto nods, gesturing to the table he was in earlier.

“Then, can I join you? I want to get to know you all better.” He flashes his _for-winning-investors_ smile. “This was fun. I want to know if we can have more projects like this.”

Makoto, for some reason, looks even more confused. “Are you sure? Haruka said you didn’t like this plan." He narrows his eyes a bit. "What changed?”

Sousuke shrugs but he pointedly glances to Aiichirou. “Kids are cute?” he says, smiling when he sees Aiichirou fidgeting with his toy.

Makoto relaxes, and nods as if saying ‘ _yes, I get that, kids are really cute_ ’. When he smiles, Sousuke thinks it's the kind of expression that can heal someone's heart.

“Of course you can join us. You can sit with me and Ai-chan!”

Aiichirou smiles widely and rushes over to the table, dragging Sousuke with him.

 

Later—after they eat and while they prepare for the second half of the event—Aiichirou asks, “Will you come visit the orphanage?” It’s quiet and shaky like he’s scared to ask. Sousuke can hear the real question:  _will I see you again?_

“Of course,” Sousuke says, a plan already forming in his head. “I have to see your Mizutaro drawings, don't I?"

Aiichirou nods enthusiastically. "I'll show you!"

At their side, Sousuke doesn’t miss the thoughtful look Makoto sends him.


	2. B is for Big Brother Program

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for everyone who commented in the last chapter!!! I’m sorry I didn’t reply; writing four (4!!) multichap fics may have dried up my vocabulary?? I am super thankful and your comments keep me going, so please do comment if you like this.
> 
> as stated before, this chapter will be Rin-centric!

Rin’s office is on another floor at the other side of the building from Sousuke’s office. He thinks perhaps Sousuke made sure to put him there so Rin will stop visiting him at odd hours to pester him about one thing or another.

(Well, too bad.

They’re still in the same building and nothing can stop Rin from pestering his childhood best friend slash boss. Sousuke should know this by now.)

Anyway.

This means that Sousuke and Haruka never goes by Rin’s office to check on him. When they need Rin, they always use the phone and make Rin come to them, or simply wait for Rin to inevitably visit their office on the top floor.

Which is why it surprises Rin to see Haruka lounging on the couch in his office, casually eating mackerel from a lunchbox he must have brought from home.

“Um?”

Rin walks inside and stops in the middle of the room. He was only gone for a few minutes to talk to Kisumi about his schedule. How did Haruka sneak here without him noticing?

Haruka looks up but continues chewing his food without care.

“Is there a reason why you’re… here?” Rin asks as he walks over to sit on his desk chair.

It takes a few seconds of chewing before Haruka puts his lunchbox down on the table and regards Rin with a flat look. “You asked Sousuke to make you the leader of the Big Brother Program,” he says, annoyance clear in his tone.

“Yes?” Rin isn’t sure why that makes Haruka angry. Isn’t he the one who wants to help the orphanage the most? Rin’s heard all about ‘Haru’nii’ from Nagisa. He knows Haruka has a soft spot for those kids.

“Your schedule is full,” Haruka says. How does he even know that? Does he talk to Kisumi about their bosses’ schedules? That seems illegal.

Rin huffs. “No, my schedule is _fine_. I have two Saturdays off.”

“That’s your day off,” Haruka says, unimpressed.

“So? I’m spending it at the orphanage.”

Haruka stares at him for a long while before asking, “Why?”

“Why _not_?”

Haruka glares at him.

“I don’t understand what you’re angry about.”

“I’m not _angry_ ,” Haruka says, _angrily_. Rin is really confused right now. “I’m--” Haruka looks down, then immediately packs his lunchbox away. He sighs heavily like Rin’s whole existence is a pain to him. “Do whatever you want.”

Rin watches him go, only realizing an hour later that Haruka spent his precious lunch time waiting for Rin to come back to his office.

-

“Doppelganger!”

Nagisa jumps into his arms as soon as Rin walks into the orphanage. Other children from last time also swarms towards him, greeting him warmly. All at once, he already feels calm and relaxed. Spending his time here is definitely the right choice. Maybe he’ll bring Gou and his mom next time.

“Hey, buddy,” Rin says, hugging Nagisa tightly and spinning around to make him laugh. “How’s it going?”

“Haru’nii’s here,” Nagisa says as soon as Rin lowers him down to the ground. “He said you can do the story in the TV room.”

“The TV room?”

“Yep!” Nagisa takes his hand and walks forward, excitedly showing off the orphanage to Rin. He points to the dining hall, to the door leading to the playground outside, to the kitchen, and all the other rooms. He chatters about what they do in each room. Rin listens attentively, interjecting when it’s necessary. He notes down the scuffed shoes in the shoe rack at the side, and the water stain on one part of the ceiling.

He’s here to read a story to the kids, but it’s also a preliminary look at what they’ll have to fix around here. If Rin is right that Sousuke’s planning something big, then he has to be ready.

They reach the TV room a few minutes later, where Haruka is already sitting on the floor with a few kids scattered around him. There are books in front of them and it looks like the children are fighting over what Rin will read to them.

Nagisa lets go of Rin’s hand to join in on the discussion. When he plops down on the floor with the other kids, Haruka looks up with a slightly amused expression. He stands up and walks over to Rin with one book in hand.

“You’re early,” Haruka says.

“I was excited.” It’s the truth, even if he also came by early to make sure he’ll catch Haruka before he goes to the office for the day.

Haruka nods, and there’s a twinkle in his eyes that Rin cannot look away from. “They were excited, too. They haven’t stopped talking about Doppelganger since the charity event.”

“Does anyone even know my real name?”

“Nagisa does,” Haruka says. He’s actually smiling now, warm and fond. “He really likes you.”

“Well, I like him too,” Rin says. “He’s a fun kid.”

“He’s aiming for Sousuke.”

Rin laughs. “He does seem the type to aim for the boss,” he says. “I don’t think Sou’s looking to adopt anyone though.”

“Hmmm.”

Rin turns to him fully, leaning closer to study his expression. “Do you know anything? I’m his best friend! I should know everything!”

Haruka shrugs, but there’s smugness there. Rin can _feel_ it.

“I’ll ask him,” Rin huffs. “I’ll go there as soon as I’m done here.”

“You can’t go to the office. It’s your day off.”

“ _Technically_ , I’m here as a representative of Yamazaki Entertainment Company, so it’s not my day off.”

“If you go to the office, someone will pull you into work,” Haruka reasons.

He’s right. If someone sees him before he gets to Sousuke, they’ll definitely ask for his help or his opinion or his advice. Rin’s cultivated his company social circle to encompass pretty much everyone, since Sousuke is a fool who likes to keep to himself. It’s Rin’s duty as Chief Administrative Officer to open all paths for his CEO.

He likes it, though. He likes that they ask for his help and his advice, that they know that his office doors are always open. He likes knowing everything in the office. It helps with his personal projects more often than not. Besides, Kisumi (his assistant) is the best gossip in the whole company, so having them go through him is another advantage.

Haruka must see something in his expression, because he sighs and says, “I don’t understand you.”

“What’s there to understand?” Rin asks. “I’m a workaholic.”

“Really,” Haruka deadpans. “Is that it?”

Rin ignores his sass. “What am I reading today?”

“Here,” Haruka says, passing over the book in his hand.

It seems to be a story about a turtle losing his way and making friends along the way while trying to find home. There’s a shark, a dolphin, an octopus, and various other sea animals in the cover.

“Did you choose this because I’ll have to use a lot of different voices?”

Haruka looks away. “It was my favorite,” he says. “I want to hear you read it.” He walks away towards the door—probably to call the other children—without even looking back.

Which is fortunate, because Rin is foolishly blushing like what he said was the most romantic thing Rin has ever heard. He doesn’t want Haruka to ever see him be this embarrassing.

 

Haruka stays for the first book, the one he said was his favorite, but he has to leave as soon as Rin is done. It’s better this way, since he isn’t as self-conscious once Haruka is gone. He gets to make more goofy faces and weird high-pitched voices as he reads the next book.

After two books, Makoto comes in to tell the children to wash up for lunch.

“Did the food arrive?” Rin asks.

Makoto nods, smiling appreciatively. “Thank you again,” he says. “It’s a huge help.”

“Just doin’ my job.”

Most of the children follow Makoto out of the room, except for Nagisa who gathers the books and puts them back in the bookshelf by the wall. When he sees Rin watching him, he says, “Rei-chan gets real mad when we forget to put it back.”

“Oh?”

“One time, I stepped on a book and Rei-chan _cried_ ,” Nagisa tells him, with an over dramatic tone. “He cried! Ai-chan thought I was bullying him! I don’t _bully_. Heroes don’t bully.”

“You’re a hero?”

Nagisa nods, and then shakes his head, and then nods again, before tilting his head in confusion. “I’ll be a hero when I grow up!”

“Like Doppelganger?”

Nagisa smiles widely. “Yes! Like Rin-chan!”

Rin feels his heart grow four sizes. This boy is so _cute_. He wonders if his mom will want to adopt. Since Rin is unlikely to give her a grandchild, maybe she can adopt a child and get off Rin’s back. He’ll have to ask her tomorrow.

“Let’s go before they eat all the food I brought over.”

Nagisa grabs his hand and swings their arms together. “What did you bring?”

“Chicken and salad.”

Nagisa makes a disgusted face. “Salad?”

“It’s healthy! It’s good for you!”

“But it’s _leaves_ ,” Nagisa complains. “And carrots. Ew.”

“Heroes eat vegetables to grow strong, though,” he says, keeping his voice low like he’s imparting a secret.

Nagisa pouts. “I’ll be a treasure hunter, then.”

Rin laughs. “You’re giving up just because of vegetables? You can’t do that! Heroes are strong-willed! They win against everything!”

“But they’re _ew_.”

“Let’s make a deal,” Rin proposes. “If you eat all the salad on your plate, I’ll bring you your favorite dessert next week.”

Nagisa lights up. “Really?!”

“Really, really.”

“Okay!” Nagisa tugs at his arm, walking quickly out of the room. “Let’s go! I’ll eat all those leaves _like a hero_!”

 

(A week after, Haruka stares at him—and the big box of strawberry shortcake he’s holding—for a whole minute before sighing in exasperation.

“Is that from our budget?” he asks.

“It’s from my own wallet! You can’t scold me!”

Haruka looks even more annoyed. “You’ll go bankrupt in a month.”

“Not with my salary, I won’t,” Rin says with a shrug.

 

Rin thinks he’ll probably spend even more if it means he gets to see Nagisa light up the way he does when he tastes the cake.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) hey rin??? you're always embarrassing  
> 2) y'all see where i'm going with this right


	3. C is for Cats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A Sousuke chapter! Thank you as always to those who read and commented, you are my life blood

It takes almost two months to finalize the process. Sousuke is not sure if he’s proud of how fast they are or annoyed at how slow the process is. They are a multi-million company, and yet it takes them this long to build a foundation and take custody of an orphanage?

“Yamazaki Children’s Foundation now offers financial aid to five orphanages and seven clinics, plus we have enough connections in the Ministry of Education to offer schools some help as well,” Haruka reports, reading from his folder. “I’ve scheduled a visit for you to the Little Paradise Children’s Home this Friday for the launch. Here’s a report from Matsuoka-san about the repairs he’d done in the past month.” He slides over the paper on Sousuke’s table.

Sousuke looks over the file, as always impressed by his best friend’s quick work. It’s all been under the radar but he’s repaired most things that he reported as damaged from his first visit.

“He’s good,” Sousuke mutters.

Haruka sighs.

“What?”

“Nothing, sir,” Haruka says in a way that clearly means ‘I have something to say but it’ll be very impolite to you, boss’.

“Spit it out.”

Haruka sighs again. “If you were so invested in this, you could have visited the places too,” he says. “Instead of making Rin do it.”

Sousuke grins. “Were you worried?”

Instead of answering, Haruka simply glares at him.

“Rin wanted to do it,” Sousuke says. Rin practically _begged_ to make him the leader of this project, and Rin is always hands-on when it comes to things that matter to him. Last night, Rin called him and asked if it’ll be ‘too much’ to buy a real Super Fusion Doppelganger suit, and Sousuke had to talk him down from ridiculously unnecessary purchases. He knows Rin wants to make those kids happy, but _a whole suit_?

“That’s not the point.”

“What _is_ the point?” If this isn’t about Rin overworking himself, then what is it about?

“You promised Ai you’d visit,” Haruka says. “You told Makoto you’d look at the place.”

“I did, through Rin.”

“ _Sousuke_.” That really isn’t a tone you should be using on your boss. Then again, Sousuke _did_ hire him especially because of this. Haruka is no-nonsense and he will always be blunt.

“I’ve just been busy!” It’s a flimsy excuse, especially since Haruka sees his schedule everyday. He doesn’t want to explain how terrifying it is, though, to go there and _commit_ to spending time outside of company hours with the children. With Ai.

By the end of that charity event, a small voice in Sousuke’s head was already whispering about the adoption process and how money can easily grease the wheels even if he’s not married. It also looked like Makoto could see through him when they said goodbye. Makoto had told Aiichirou to give Sousuke a hug, and when Aiichirou asked ‘is it okay?’ with those big puppy eyes, Sousuke almost felt like crying. Makoto had looked at him with clear understanding on his face.

Sousuke has been busy working and taking care of this company since his parents died, and he’s never thought of having a family. But it feels _right_ , listening to Aiichirou’s stories and helping him eat and playing together. Sousuke can easily imagine a life like that.

It’s too much, too soon. He’s just twenty-six years old. He can’t build a family out of a whim. Aiichirou doesn’t deserve that.

Haruka puts down the folder in front of him.

“This Friday,” he reminds. “No excuses.”

“I’m your boss, you know.”

Haruka walks out the door without replying.

 

Sousuke will blame everything on Haruka’s disappointed glaring. He feels guilty about not visiting and for essentially breaking a promise, so he goes to their gift shop to buy toys and books for the children. Rin has an almost obsessive list of things the children like, so it’s easy to choose.

He buys a Doppelganger action figure for Nagisa, a vocabulary book for Rei, an interactive puzzle for Kazuki, a toy sword for Takuya, and… Aiichirou’s name isn’t in the list.

“Dammit, Rin.”

He can imagine it perfectly though. He knows Aiichirou hides in places where people can’t see him, and he doesn’t speak over anyone. With loud characters like Nagisa and Takuya around, Ai must have never spoken about his interests.

The good thing is, Sousuke knows what Aiichirou likes.

The bad thing is, he knows a lot of things Aiichirou likes, because he listened, and he has so many choices to choose from.

He considers a Mizutaro stuffed toy, but that’s too simple. He broke his promise so it needs to be perfect.

There’s a large display of _Nyanzaru_ in the middle of the store. She’s the new character in the Mizushimashima Family anime, and she’s a samurai cat who moved in next door from the protagonist's family. Sousuke remembers the cat Nitori was holding, and the stories he told about the orphanage's cat Bassu.

An idea forms in his head.

 

Admittedly, this is too much. This forfeits any right he has to judge Rin for at least the next week.

“You called the mascot?” Rin asks, tone gleeful. He looks ready to tease Sousuke about this for eternity. “Haruka doesn’t know, does he? He’ll be so pissed at you for not telling him first.”

“I’m _his boss_ ,” Sousuke grumbles.

“Sure, sure,” Rin says like it doesn’t matter. “But Haru prepares everything you do and suddenly you’re here with a mascot and--” He starts laughing. “A whole car filled with toys?”

“Shut up.”

“No, it’s cute. I’m proud of you.”

“ _Shut up._ ”

“Stop being so grumpy! The kids will get scared of your face!”

Before Sousuke can say anything, Nagisa opens the door and stares wide-eyed at the mascot, and then at Sousuke. “The boss!” he exclaims, and then he just gapes, seemingly shocked into silence.

“I’m here too?” Rin says teasingly.

Nagisa sticks out his tongue out at Rin. “Rin’nii isn’t a guest anymore,” he says. “You’re family.”

Sousuke watches Rin’s expression melt into a fond, sappy smile. He looks so _happy_ with that. Sousuke has known vaguely that Rin loves this place, but with this, it suddenly makes perfect sense. Rin loves working hard for people and belonging with them, and he found a place here with the kids. He wants to help them because he’s _family_.

Sousuke acknowledges the ache in his chest at the thought. His last experience with a family was also with Rin and his family, probably ten years ago.

“Brat,” Rin says, after too long a pause. “Aren’t you letting us in?”

Nagisa’s eyes go wide as his attention shifts back to Sousuke. “Come in, please!” He bows politely before opening the door wider and gesturing them in.

They hear rapid footsteps and then Makoto bursts into the entryway, stunned silent as well by the mascot. He stares for a few seconds, before he goes, “Sousuke-kun! I didn’t think—”

He didn’t think Sousuke was coming? Ouch.

“Haruka didn’t tell you?”

Makoto blushes. “Well, he did,” he flounders, “but I thought you’d be busy.”

Like the past two months when he found a way out of visiting, any time Haruka brought it up. Right. Sousuke feels like an ass.

“I’ll go gather the kids,” Rin says, picking up Nagisa and jogging inside.

Sousuke looks at Makoto, and Makoto looks back at him. The mascot stays quiet beside them.

“You brought Nyanzaru,” Makoto says.

“I’m sorry,” Sousuke says at the same time.

Makoto shakes his head. “You don’t have to say sorry to me.”

He understands. Makoto’s been here a long time, so he must be used to broken promises. Aiichirou, on the other hand, is a child who hasn’t opened up to many people. Sousuke needs to say sorry to him.

“Where’s Aiichirou?”

“He’s in the clinic,” Makoto says, frowning. “He has a slight fever.”

“Oh.” Sousuke feels even worse. “Can I—”

“I’ll walk you there.” Makoto glances at the mascot. “Isn’t he supposed to go with Rin?”

Sousuke shakes his head. “This one’s for Aiichirou first,” he says.

Makoto sighs. “You’re… confusing.”

“I know.” Sousuke is confused about his own actions, too, so that makes two of them.

“Make up your mind,” Makoto says, quiet but firm. “These children deserves that.”

“I _know_.”

 

Aiichirou looks even smaller and frailer than the first time Sousuke saw him. He is lying in a single bed in the small clinic, shivering slightly and face flushed. His sleeping form looks restless. Sousuke unconsciously drifts closer, sitting on the edge of the bed and sweeping his bangs off to touch his forehead. His fever isn’t that high, but Sousuke knows Aiichirou’s immune system is weak and anything can escalate.

“He already ate breakfast and drank medicine,” Makoto explains, moving to the other side of the bed. The mascot remains at the doorway since the room isn’t that big. “He’s just sleeping it off. I can call you when he wakes up.”

The thing is, leaving feels wrong. Sousuke doesn’t want to leave Aiichirou’s bedside. He knows how it feels to wake up sick and alone. He knows how it feels to have someone break their promise to you. Sousuke wants nothing else but to sit here and wait until Aiichirou wakes up, so he can say sorry immediately.

“Nyanzaru,” he calls out. “Go with Makoto to the kids. Greet them and take pictures, then you can rest.”

“You sure, boss?” comes a voice inside the suit.

“Be on standby but you can take off the suit after greeting the kids.”

“You’re staying here?” Makoto asks, even as he walks to the door.

“Yeah,” he says. “Just until he wakes up? I’ll go there for the photo op.”

Makoto looks at him for a few more seconds. He looks like he wants to say something, but he only smiles and nods before turning towards Nyanzaru to discuss the event today.

Sousuke waits for Aiichirou to wake up.

 

It takes half an hour for Aiichirou to open his eyes, and a few more minutes for him to be awake enough to recognize Sousuke, but when he does, his eyes grow wide and it almost looks like he’s forgotten about the pain he was in. He sits up and stretches a hand as if checking if Sousuke is real.

“Good morning, Aiichirou,” he says.

“Ah! I’m not dreaming?”

That hits harder than Sousuke expects. He can’t help the wince, or that guilty feeling that gnaws at him. “Sorry,” he says. “I promised I’d come but I couldn’t.”

Aiichirou smiles and shakes his head. “Mako’nii said you’re very busy and Nagisa said you’re the boss so you do _everything_ ,” he says. He sounds happy and excited, no drop of anger in his tone. “You have to work so Mizushimashima Family will continue forever!”

Sousuke definitely doesn’t deserve this forgiveness, but he’s grateful for it. He thinks he wants to earn it from now on.

He reaches out to touch Aiichirou’s forehead. “You’re still warm,” he says.

“I got sick because I was playing with Bassu,” Aiichirou says sadly. He frowns and looks down, hands fidgeting with the blanket. “Mako’nii thinks I’m allergic to cats.”

“Oh.” That sucks. Aiichirou _loves_ cats. He told Sousuke all about how he always wants to play with Bassu, even if the cat doesn’t like playing with anyone. “I — I brought Nyanzaru?” He offers, to get that sad expression off Aiichirou’s face.

It’s like turning on a switch. Aiichirou perks up, and he looks at Sousuke like he’s given him the best gift of all. “Nyanzaru?!”

“He’s in the TV room with the others, but I can call him later, if you want.”

“Is it… is it okay?” Aiichirou asks hopefully. It’s the same timid way he asked if he can  _really_ hug Sousuke. Like before, it tugs at something inside Sousuke’s chest. “I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Nyanzaru loves kids. Especially kids who love cats.”

Aiichirou smiles. “I love cats!”

“If you’re allergic to them, then you can have Nyanzaru as a playmate instead,” Sousuke says. “Oh, I bought you something. Can you wait here?”

When Aiichirou nods, Sousuke goes off back to his car to get one of the Nyanzaru toys he bought, the one that says _I love nya_ when you push its paws. Rin sees him and laughs at his frantic run back to the clinic, but Sousuke ignores him.

“Here,” he says, sitting back down on the edge of the bed and putting the toy in front of Aiichirou. “Push its paw.”

Aiichirou does. As soon as Nyanzaru says _I love nya_ , he giggles happily and whispers “I love nya too,” with the cutest smile Sousuke has ever seen.

 

Sousuke leaves Aiichirou with Amakata-sensei, who is the doctor who helps out every weekend to check on the kids. Even though he doesn’t want to, Sousuke knows he is here as the Company President and he has to show his face for the event at least by lunch. He takes photos with the kids and makes a short speech. He eats with Rin on a table with the other helpers.

He thinks about Aiichirou’s health the whole time.

When the event ends, Makoto immediately asks to talk to him alone.

“Are you going to scold me?” Sousuke asks, weirdly scared of the reprimanding look on Makoto’s face.

Makoto relaxes a bit, but not all the way. He thrusts forward pamphlets clutched in his hands. “Information,” he says. Sousuke can read the first title that says _Adopting: The Know-Hows_. “You don’t have to — I’m not—” He takes a deep breath. “I’m not asking you to adopt him,” he says, “but it looks like you may be considering it? I want to help you understand.”

“I’m twenty-six,” Sousuke says. An excuse. A bad one, at that. “I’m not married,” he adds, which might be a better excuse.

“I know,” Makoto says. His voice is gentle and soft, like he doesn’t want to spook Sousuke. “But you basically own this orphanage now, and you’re more than capable of providing for him, and I can see how much you care. If you can commit to it, then…” He sounds just as hopeful as Aiichirou did earlier.

Sousuke takes the pamphlets. “I’ll think about it.”

“I, uh, wrote down my number in there,” Makoto offers. “If you have questions, just call. And if you want to talk to Ai-chan, I live here so you can call for that, too.” He looks down, cheeks turning red. “Ai-chan really likes you. Please don’t disappear again.” He looks embarrassed to be saying this but his voice is firm.

“Sorry,” Sousuke says again, because he broke his promise with Makoto, too. “I’ll visit when I can and I’ll read these. Thanks.”

Makoto nods. “You’re welcome. Ai-chan’s sleeping right now, so if you have a message…”

Sousuke grins and says, “Tell him to push Nyanzaru’s paw. That’s my message for him, too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love nya


	4. D is for Drawings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a Rin (harurin tbh) chapter!  
> anyway it's my birthday tomorrow so be nice to me

Rin has been going to the orphanage every other week for the past five months already. He has gone from being Doppelganger to being everyone’s Rin’nii. He has played games, baked cookies, watched movies with them, and even helped with their assignments. In Nagisa’s words, he is no longer a guest, because he’s family.

He likes the orphanage a lot. Gou and his mom have joined him a few times in helping here, and Rin has also built a team from the company to deal with most problems. The ceiling is now fixed, and the company has bought them all new shoes.

There are still things to fix, though.

 

“Why can’t I help?” Rin asks, sitting beside Nagisa on the floor, mirroring the child’s crossed arms pose. He wants to pout too, like how Nagisa is doing. He _wants_ to help. He always wants to help.

Haruka glances at him, and then pointed looks at the paper in front of Rin and Nagisa. It’s an _artwork_ , okay? They may not be the best artists, but they work hard and they gave it their all. Their trees are a little wonky and the girl holding the ball looks like a blob, but it’s the effort that counts!

Rin tries to convey this all with his look.

Haruka ignores him. “Rei, use this blue for that next part,” he says, passing over a plastic cup with paint. “Careful with your brush.”

“Why can Rei help?” Nagisa asks sulkily.

“He’s good,” Haruka says bluntly.

“Haru-chaaaan~” Nagisa tries to nuzzle at him, but he almost hits a cup full of paint, so Rin grabs him and stands up.

“Okay, yeah,” he says, staring down at the beautiful sign the two are making. “I get your point.”

“You should practice,” Haruka says, gesturing towards the table where the other kids are drawing. Kazuki looks up from drawing and waves at them.

“We’ll come back,” Rin promises.

Haruka goes back to painting.

 

Rin sits with the other kids, but he lets Nagisa get papers and pens for them. Instead, he observes the others to see what they’re drawing. It’s often their characters that get drawn, so he likes to check which ones are most famous. (For _business_ purposes, totally not so he can bribe the mascots to come by next time there’s an event.)

“Oooh, Kazuki! That’s good!”

Kazuki is ten so he has better fine motor skills than the younger kids. He’s one of the few kids allowed to help with the sign, actually.

“You don’t want to help Haruka?”

“Nope!”

“Why not?” Nagisa asks, obviously still moping over that. He sits down beside Rin and puts down the papers and pens in front of them.

“You’re the only one who disturbs them when they’re doing art things,” Kazuki says, grinning at Nagisa. “We have a rule against it.”

“Rules are dumb,” Nagisa huffs.

“Rule against what?” Rin asks. He doesn’t really understand what Kazuki is talking about.

Kazuki leans closer and whispers, “Rei is Haru’nii’s favorite. And Haru’nii is Rei’s favorite. So we don’t disturb them.”

Rin’s eyes go wide as he registers what they’re implying. “Rei’s aiming for Haruka?” he whispers. It’s a common gossip here in the orphanage, especially since Nagisa talks all about how Sousuke is his greatest aim. The other orphanages aren’t as blunt about it, but Nagisa and Haruka’s combined straightforward attitude has changed the mood of this whole place.

Nagisa laughs. “Rei-chan doesn’t _aim_ ,” he says. “It’s our wish as his friend.”

“He just said you disturb them,” Rin says.

“I’m _helping_ ,” Nagisa corrects. “Rei-chan needs help sometimes.”

“They’re perfect,” Kazuki explains passionately. “It’s like they have their own world when they’re painting together! And Haru’nii will be an awesome dad!”

“Huh.” Rin can actually see that. If someone told him this back when he first met Haruka, he wouldn’t have believed them. Haruka seems standoffish and cold at first sight, at least for most people. Rin remembers the glare Haruka sent him the first time they met in that café by the university. That barista doesn’t strike Rin as a father-material, but knowing Haruka now, having spent months in the Big Brother program with him, Rin knows how good he is with kids.

“Not like you,” Takuya pipes up from Kazuki’s right. Nagisa and Kazuki nods, laughing.

“Hey! I’ll make a great dad!”

They laugh even louder. “You’re everyone’s big brother,” Kazuki says. “You’re not a dad.”

With a condescending pat on his back, Nagisa adds, “You’re a child, too, Rinrin.”

Rin gasps in fake offense, and then grabs Nagisa to tickle his sides.

 

When the sign is finished, Rei shyly calls over Rin and Nagisa, saying sorry for finishing before they were ready to join. Haruka ruffles his hair and tells him that it’s not his fault that Rin and Nagisa are bad at drawing. Rei blushes but doesn’t say anything more.

Right there, Rin can see what the children were talking about.

 

The paint needs time to dry, so Rin and Haruka bring the sign to Sasabe’s office so no one can mess with it. Up close, Rin can see how beautiful the painting is, from the straight lines that make up the Little Paradise Children’s Home name to the nature decorations around it. The trees are painted in different shades, and there’s a lake with little ducklings in it. It’s like an illustration from one of the books Rin reads for them.

“It looks good,” he says.

Haruka stares down at the sign and doesn’t say anything.

“You’ve always been artistic,” Rin adds.

“What?” Haruka turns to him, eyes narrowing. “What did you say?”

Rin looks away. “N-nothing. I said you’re really artistic.”

Haruka doesn’t seem to believe him, but he also doesn’t ask anymore so Rin will take that as a win.

 

* * *

 

 

 

_Rin first saw Haruka in the fancy café beside his university. He was in his first year in college, technically, although he was already learning about business management through Uncle Yamazaki and the other executives from the company. He had a full course load and lots of volunteer work for the company, so his mother agreed to let him stay in the dorm._

_The dormitory was filled with rowdy teenagers with plans to party most weekends away, though._

_A few weeks in, he found the café while searching for a safe and quiet place to concentrate. It was open 24 hours and had a decent wifi, which was everything Rin needed._

_Haruka was obviously bored of his job, and had no qualms glaring at customers. He was almost icily polite with everyone, but was kind to anyone nervous about ordering. He was quiet and efficient with his work. Rin was fascinated watching him. He always had a flat look on his face, like he didn’t want to be in there._

_But then, on a Sunday morning, Rin saw Haruka smile for the first time._

_A young teenage girl had walked to the counter shyly and asked if Haruka did latte art. When Haruka nodded, the girl took out her phone and showed him something. Then, Haruka moved to make her latte._

_Curious and nosy, Rin pretended to look at the shelf of coffee beans at the side of the counter, peeking every now and then to see what Haruka was working on._

_What he saw was a smiling Haruka designing a beautiful and realistic cat. Rin had gasped quietly to himself, both at the art and at Haruka’s expression._

_Rin ordered some latte art every single time he went there, but he never saw Haruka’s face make that expression again._

 

_A few months later, his scholarship application abroad was accepted, and he left without ever introducing himself._


	5. E is for Expectation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sousuke chapter!! This one ain't cute but we need it to Move Forward, ok. I am in pain over having to write this.  
> also i don't know why my soumako is always Like This. 404 had this kind of dynamics too? it's weird

There are a million reasons why adopting is not viable for Sousuke, starting with the fact that he is the CEO of a multimillion company and his executives are made up of middle aged people who want to see him fail. He is young and unmarried. He has had a grand total of three relationships, two of which ended because he was ‘emotionally unavailable’ and one turned out to be a marriage scam. He isn’t good with children.

The reasons become something of a mantra after every visit to the orphanage.

 _You’re too young_ , he thinks after his third visit when he and Rin made cookies with half the kids. (It was the first time Nitori ever joined an activity, since Sousuke’s been giving their clinic a particularly good budget straight from his pocket.)

 _You can’t build a family on your own_ , he thinks two months in after he went home to place a drawing Aiichirou did of him on the fridge. (He’s never had drawings on the fridge, even when he was a child. He never drew anything he was proud of, and his parents were never home enough to ask him about it.)

 _You aren’t good with children,_ he thinks even as he watches Aiichirou laugh at the clay sculpture he is making. (Aiichirou rarely laughs, but Sousuke’s been getting better at causing it. He feels so satisfied everytime he does it.)

 _You are not allowed to fail_ , he reminds himself. _If you do this, you lose_.

 

Makoto’s number stays written on the pamphlet he’s been reading repeatedly for months now. He doesn’t put it into his phone, because it feels like an agreement. It feels like a step towards something he’s not yet willing to acknowledge.

But then Rin texts him ‘ _Ai’s got a home visit’_ , and Sousuke panics.

 

“Is it— Is it true?”

There’s silence from the other line before Makoto’s stern voice goes, “Who’s this?” in a way that implies he does know who’s calling but he is so annoyed that he’d rather pretend not to.

“Yamazaki. Sousuke Yamazaki.” He gulps, still illogically afraid of Makoto’s reprimands.

“What were you asking again?” Makoto’s tone is icily polite.

Sousuke sighs and surrenders himself to his fate. “Rin told me Aiichirou went for a home visit. Is it true?”

“He’s spending the day with a lovely couple who wants to adopt,” Makoto says, deceptively pleasant. How does he make Sousuke feel like an asshole every time he speaks? It’s a talent that Rin and Haruka will probably covet if they find out about it. “Ai-chan’s really excited about it.”

“I’m.” Sousuke doesn’t know what he feels about that. “I’m glad,” he says anyway. “I hope it goes well.”

“Do you?”

It takes a few seconds but he decisively answers, “Yes.”

Aiichirou deserves to have a family, especially a whole one with a mom and a dad who will love him. He deserves to have parents who will put him as their priority. He deserves parents who are ready for this responsibility.

“Good,” Makoto says, then hangs up on him.

 

That Monday, before a major stockholders meeting, Sousuke’s phone rings and he is about to leave his phone in the office when he sees the name on the screen.

_**Makoto Tachibana** is calling._

He answers it.

 

“I’ll be fine,” Rin says with a shrug. “Honestly, do we even need you here? We don’t.”

Sousuke sighs, passing over his documents to Rin. “They’ll ask why I’m not there.”

“Yeah, and I’ll say you have a family emergency.”

“He’s not family,” Sousuke says. It feels like a lie.

Rin must see it too, because he doesn’t deign to give that a reply. Instead, he tucks the documents into his folder and says, “Call Haru when you get there. I’ll update you on the meeting later at the hospital.”

“You’re going, too?” As soon as he says it, he feels ridiculous for even asking. While Sousuke has been to the orphanage a lot of times the past months, Rin has constantly been in contact with everyone there. Rin is practically everyone’s big brother now. Of course he will go check on Aiichirou later.

“Just go,” Rin says, rolling his eyes. “We’ll be fine here.”

 

Aiichirou is allergic to cats and shellfish, and has weak lungs. He gets sick often because of his frail immune system. His voice is too quiet to be heard over other children. He likes books and drawing and telling stories, and he doesn’t like playing the games other children play. He eats anything you give him, but he eats slowly and with small bites.

Sometimes, his fevers are so bad, he has to be sent to the hospital.

Makoto says all those things make Aiichirou an expensive child to take care of. The exact words from the couple was _high-maintenance_. When he hears it, Sousuke wants to punch someone, but he successfully reigns in the emotion until the couple is out of sight.

“They’re not—” Makoto raises both hands up in a placating gesture, walking closer to Sousuke like he’s a caged animal. “They aren’t bad people. They’re a middle-class couple who can’t afford to have a sickly child.”

“If they knew that…” Sousuke clenches his fists. He knows that people are briefed about the children's health before house visits are planned. He  _knows_ they should have considered that before agreeing to house visits. He's been reading all about it the past months.

“They were nice to Ai-chan, and they never said anything like that where he can hear,” Makoto says. “The whole point of House Visits is to see how well the child fits in with them. I knew they had financial restrictions. Ai-chan did, too. It's good enough they realized it before we were further into the process.”

“So, what? That’s it? They’re giving up on him?”

Makoto’s expression shutters. “They don’t have a choice,” he says. There’s an undertone of anger in his words. “At least they tried.” He stares at Sousuke for a second, before he turns his back and walks away.

 

Sousuke stays by Aiichirou’s side the whole time as Makoto talks to the doctors and nurses. When a doctor proposes some tests to see for sure what’s wrong with Aiichirou, Makoto falters but Sousuke tells them to do anything they have to. He’s willing to pay for all the tests they need. It’s the least he can do.

 

“I’m sorry,” Makoto says, sitting down at the other side of Aiichirou’s bed. “I blew up on you when all you’ve been doing is help us.” He looks ashamed as he stares down at the sheets.

“Is that what it looks like when you blow up on someone?” Sousuke asks jokingly, trying to lighten the mood. “You have nothing on Rin.”

Makoto smiles a bit. “Rin’s emotional, even I know that.”

“Yeah,” Sousuke says. “Don’t worry about it. Besides, I get where you’re coming from.”

“You do?”

“You were right, about the fact that I was considering… you know.” He shrugs. “But I kept finding reasons why it wasn’t a good idea. So I don’t have the right to be angry at people who actually took that step.”

“Oh.” Makoto sounds disappointed, but he doesn’t say anything else.

Sousuke goes quiet for a moment, trying to arrange his thoughts properly. Silence reigns except for the rhythmic beeps from the equipments around them. He wants to explain his side, but he doesn’t want to make excuses. He wants to understand what he really wants, once and for all. It feels like talking to Makoto will let him do that.

“I left a major stockholders meeting to go here,” Sousuke says.

Makoto looks at him in surprise. “What?”

“When you called and told me Aiichirou was in the hospital, I blanked out,” Sousuke continues. “I’ve been telling myself that I can’t get too attached, that he doesn’t deserve to have someone who won’t put him as their number one priority, but as soon as I heard he was in the hospital, I dropped everything. It was an easy decision. Rin’s good enough to handle them, and I’m good enough at my job that they can’t complain even if I don’t attend one meeting.”

Sousuke looks down at Aiichirou, looking so small in that hospital bed and looking even frailer with that oxygen mask on his face. Sousuke reaches out to hold his hand.

“This… this wasn’t what I expected. It isn’t supposed to be this way.”

“What is?” Makoto asks softly.

“I’m supposed to focus on my job, marry another socialite who can help the company, and have a kid to be my successor,” he says. “That’s always been the plan. I’m not _emotional_ , not like Rin is.” He was taught to be goal-oriented, and to always do everything with the future in mind. He got lucky with how smart Rin is, because otherwise, he doesn’t think his parents would have let him be friends with a lower middle-class boy. Rin is everything Sousuke is not, is everything Sousuke wanted to be once upon a time.

“Is it so bad? Not to go with that plan?”

When Sousuke looks up, he can see the sadness in Makoto’s expression. It looks a lot like pity. His parents must be rolling in their grave right now. An orphan, who was never adopted,  _pitying_ Sousuke, the CEO of one of the biggest companies in Japan.

“I honestly don’t know,” he says.

“I won’t pretend to understand what you’re going through,” Makoto says. He looks at Aiichirou, before turning towards Sousuke again. His eyes are lit up with determination. “The only experience I can relate to is Ai-chan’s. He doesn’t need perfect parents, or a perfect family. I don’t think anyone expects that from you, or from anyone. What he needs is someone who cares about him, who can take care of him.”

He smiles softly down at Sousuke's hand clutching Ai's and adds, “Someone who cares enough to bail out of an important meeting, maybe.”

Sousuke laughs quietly. “Yeah. I guess I have a lot to think about.”

“Don’t take too long this time?” It sounds like a joke, but the lines of worry on Makoto’s face show it’s not entirely that.

“I won’t.”

 

When Rin shows up a few hours later, they talk at a coffee shop beside the hospital. Rin gives him Haruka’s report and explains about some meetings Sousuke would have to attend in the coming days. A few foreign investors are slated to come by in a few weeks. They discuss the whole meeting from start to finish. As always, Rin gives him enough observation on the other executives to know what they’re planning. Rin is an expert at reading people, and at nudging right where he needs them. Sousuke is glad he left it to Rin.

As soon as their discussion winds down, Rin asks, “How about you? How’s Ai-chan?”

“His immune system is crap,” Sousuke answers with a grimace. The doctors will know more tomorrow, but they’ve already told him a rundown of what they saw. “Nothing major that will put him in actual danger, but he has chronic illnesses that’s enough to make him sick all the time. It’s the kind of thing you’d need to manage instead of cure in one go.”

“Oh,” Rin says. He frowns, clearly understanding what that means. “That’s bad.”

“I know,” he says.

“What are you…” Rin looks down. He hasn’t been pushing about this in the past few weeks, because he knows how hard it is for Sousuke. He’s the one who’s been in the front seat of all of Sousuke’s family issues. Instead of prodding him for a decision like what he would usually do for any other problem, he has been a quiet support, since he knows that is exactly what Sousuke needs. It looks like this is the end of his patience, though. “What are you planning then? Better clinic for the orphanage?”

He’s giving Sousuke an out.

With everything Rin has in place, Sousuke can choose to walk away from this and still be sure that Aiichirou will get good treatment.

But Sousuke has a huge house, helpers who clean every spot in there, and a family doctor. The orphanage can provide good enough treatment, but Sousuke can give him the best.

And Aiichirou deserves the best treatment.

“No,” Sousuke says. “Will you help me do something else?”

Rin studies him for a moment, then grins widely. "Of course."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> finally ;;  
> also if it ain't obvious, there's a lot of sousuke / rin best friends feelings in my heart and this is the vehicle by which i show them


	6. F is for Foreign Investors

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Previously on A to Z: Sousuke decides to adopt Aiichirou.
> 
> is this an early update? i don't know. time is not real.

With Sousuke preoccupied with preparing for the adoption process, Rin has to step up to the plate and take on some of his responsibilities. Honestly, Rin wants to be hands-on in helping Sousuke with the process, but he knows Sousuke doesn’t trust anyone else with the visiting foreign investors, so he redirects all his efforts to that instead. The two of them have always been great at tackling different sides of the problem. It’s why they work so well.

This added responsibility on top of his usual work in the company adds some strain on his schedule though. There are projects he needs to focus on, with the new partnership they’re building with a mall chain and a new TV show they’re producing.

He needs to prioritize.

Since the Foundation is pretty much afloat now on its own, Rin doesn’t need to check on them as much. He doesn’t have to go to the orphanage as much.

It sucks, but his duties are more important than his desire to see the kids.

 

“Hey, are you—”

Rin actually winces when he walks ahead instead of slowing down to talk to Haruka. He hates it when he’s busy enough that he doesn’t have time to pester both Haruka and Sousuke. They’re all busy, so he’s sure they appreciate his silence, but he hates it when he can’t talk to them much. It feels wrong to not talk to them at least once a day.

“Sorry,” he says, raising a hand to flag down a taxi even though he really wants to stay and talk some more. “I’m going to be late.”

“Oh,” Haruka says, then nods before going inside the building without another word.

Rin thinks Haruka looks disappointed, but that’s definitely just his wishful thinking.

 

The foreign investors are from Australia, and Rin’s been to their company a few months ago as the company's representative. Since they were kind enough to join him in touring their city and finding a perfect place to build their first ever shop in Australia, Rin accompanies them during their entire stay. He does the whole wine and dine routine, and even joins them for an overnight trip to a hot spring resort.

It’s an easy task, all things considered, even if it does take so much of Rin’s time.

“After we get back to Tokyo,” Rin says, checking his calendar on his phone, “we’re going directly to the TV station to check on their progress.”

Kisumi immediately pouts and elbows Rin. “Boss~ We can stay here for one more night! Let’s have a free day too, like Mr. Brown and the others! They’re going to the temples, you know? The temples!”

Rin gives his assistant a blank look. “We’re not here for a vacation.”

“But we’ve been working too hard!” Kisumi protests. “First, you take on more projects than you should have, and now you’re personally assisting the investors, and you even talked to the executives individually! That’s too much!”

“I’m the Chief Administrative Officer. All of it is my job.”

Kisumi whines more, even going as far as to shake Rin’s arm. “Executives are supposed to just point at things and make people obey them, Rin! That’s what everyone does!”

“You can always just move to another office,” Rin says, smirking. “I think Yamashita-san needs another assistant.”

“That’s because he’s awful and he’s close to retirement! I’m not a _nurse_.”

“You complain too much.”

“Oh? Is it bothering you? Then you should have hired someone like Haru.” Kisumi grins. “But Sousuke snagged him first, didn’t he? That’s what you get for going abroad too many times!”

Rin scowls. “Shut up.”

“Now, now, don’t make that expression, boss. Your charm is important to get our visitors to sign the contract,” Kisumi says with a leer.

“They’ve already decided to sign,” Rin says. “This is just extra service to get on their good side.”

“Always ten steps ahead, huh?”

“With those assholes in the board, we have to be.”

Kisumi shrugs. “True. Haru told me about that stunt Hongo-san tried to pull when Sousuke didn’t attend the meeting.”

“He really thought he’s got us,” Rin says with an exasperated sigh. “Bastard’s been out for us since we took over. He’s never learnt his lesson.”

“I bet it was cool, whatever you did,” Kisumi says, raising an eyebrow suggestively. “Haru seemed to think so, at least.”

Rin stares at his assistant. “What?”

“His eyes were all sparkly!” Kisumi clasps his hands together, fluttering his eyelashes and sighing like a maiden in love. “He was so proud of his future—”

“Shut up!” Rin elbows him once before standing up. “We need to sleep early. We’ve got an early train to catch.”

“You’re no fun!” Kisumi shouts at his back.

 

His trip back to Tokyo is almost waylaid when the investors realizes that he’s going, but with a little sweet talk and a promise to meet for one last dinner before they leave Japan, he gets to his train on time.

“I should be taking videos of this,” Kisumi grumbles as he sits beside Rin on the train. “A lot of the girls, and _boys_ , in the PR department would buy a video of you speaking English. I’ll be rich.”

“I’m pretty sure that’s against company policies. And illegal.”

“That’s why I didn’t do it,” Kisumi says. “You’re petty enough to sue me for selling your merch to your fan’s club.”

“I don’t have a fan’s club.”

Kisumi sighs, like he’s disappointed. “Sure,” he says. “Like how the PR department _hasn’t_ been trying to get you to star in a promotional video.”

They have, indeed, been courting him to appear in some videos. He’s never agreed, and he will _never_ agree. His job will always be behind the scenes, no matter how many times Naoko from PR tells him that he has the perfect face for their campaign.

Whatever. He doesn’t have a fan’s club. They’re a multi-million company, and no one has time for that. Besides, if they want to make fan’s clubs, there are enough artists under their company that the employees has a list to pick from. Of course, most of their artists are stars for their children shows or the singers for their anime openings, but those people are definitely better to fawn over than their overworked boss. They’ve seen him drunk and crying over Mizushimashima Family’s season finale. No matter how cool they might have thought he was, that image (that Kisumi recorded and sent to the others) definitely breaks all their misconceptions.

 

He spends the next few weeks in that busy haze, only remembering to eat and go home because of Kisumi’s complaints. The foreign investors sign the contract and promises to send a representative soon. The Fun Center plans for the mall chain goes through, but the TV show hits a block in production when the executives reject the director’s choice for the main child actor. Rin can’t even argue with their decision, since the boy is cute but not special enough to be the star of their show.

He’s in the middle of looking through audition profiles when his phone rings, and he looks down to see Haruka’s name on his screen.

“Hello? Haru?” He hopes he doesn’t sound too excited. It’s been almost a week since he saw the other man, since they’re busy with their own affairs. Rin hasn’t seen Sousuke in more than a week, even. He's feeling a bit of a separation anxiety.

“Rinrin,” the voice on the other line responds, clear displeasure in their tone.

“...Nagisa?”

“Are you tired of us?” Nagisa sounds like he wants to scold Rin, but it sounds lonely, too. It sounds like he already has an answer to that question.

“No! That’s not it at all!” Rin exclaims. “I’ve just been busy.”

“I _told you_ he’s busy!” Kazuki says from somewhere further away. Rin must be on loudspeaker.

“He’s the boss’ right-hand man,” Takuya adds solemnly. “He told me before.”

Rin can’t help but smile, hearing their voices. He misses them so much. Just hearing them talk like this eases the tension he didn’t even notice he was holding. He wants to see them as soon as possible. Perhaps when the TV show’s problems are fixed, he’ll have Kisumi drive him to the orphanage so he can play with the kids again.

“Are you well, Rin’nii?” Rei asks, amidst the voices of the other children fighting over who gets to hold the phone.

“I’m fine,” Rin says. “I’m better now that you’ve called. I miss you all.” It’s easier, letting them know how important they are. Children don't judge him when he's affectionate, or at least they don’t tease him as much as adults do.

“We miss you, too!” They chorus.

“Okay, mine now,” Nagisa says, and there’s rustling like he snatches the phone away. There’s a lot of other noise as they complain, but Rin hears Haruka’s voice calming them down. “It was my idea, you know? I get Rin-chan time.”

Rin laughs. “Is that so?”

“Yep! I miss you the most. I get the phone.”

“You miss me the most, huh? You’re just saying that because you miss getting sweets.”

“I ate all my vegetables! Rei-chan’s been writing it on his diary! I have proof!”

“So that means I owe you sweets?” Rin asks, amused.

“Yes!”

“I’ll go there as soon as I’m done with all these,” Rin promises. “It won’t take long.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

Nagisa goes quiet for a few seconds, before he says, almost too quiet, “The boss is going to adopt Ai-chan, you know?”

“I know,” Rin says, softly. For all that Nagisa’s ‘aiming’ is half a joke to everyone in the orphanage, a part of them also knows that Nagisa wanted it for real. It makes sense that Sousuke’s decision makes him sad. Rin feels awful for not realizing it sooner, for not seeing this possibility. He hasn’t been by the orphanage, and Nagisa’s probably been feeling like this ever since Sousuke came by to start the process a week ago.

“Ai-chan’s really…” Nagisa trails off, then sniffles a bit. It breaks Rin’s heart. “Ai-chan needs a rich parent. Rei-chan told me.”

“He’s got conditions that need a lot of attention,” Rin says.

“I’m healthy,” Nagisa says. “So I’m okay here.”

Rin doesn’t know what to say. He doesn’t know how to comfort Nagisa. Suddenly, all he wants is to drive over to the orphanage and distract Nagisa with games and stories, but he has a meeting in less than an hour, and he needs to prioritize that over everything.

“I’m going to find a richer one,” Nagisa decides a few moments later. He sounds determined, more like himself. “Someone with a big house and a pool. I’ll be a _young master_.”

“I bet they’d even have a dog for you to play with,” Rin adds. “Golden retriever, so you can run around in your big yard.”

“And all the cake I can eat!”

Rin laughs. “You’ll get cavities.”

“Rich people don’t get cavities,” Nagisa says, haughty like he’s saying a universally accepted truth.

“I assure you, I grew up with Sousuke and he’s had his fair share of dentist appointments,” Rin says, laughing. “Sorry to burst your dreams.”

“Whatever, Rinrin.” Nagisa sounds like he’s pouting. “Come here soon, okay?”

“I’ll bring cake.”

“You better!”

 

He talks to Nagisa for a few more minutes before Haruka asks for his phone back.

“Good luck on your meeting,” Haruka says as soon as Nagisa gives him the phone.

“Thank you,” Rin replies. “For calling.”

“It was Nagisa’s idea.”

“Still. Thank you. I needed that.”

Haruka is silent for a few seconds, then he says, “Make sure to rest after. Sousuke’s counting on you.”

He hangs up before Rin can say anything to that.

Rin laughs, feeling like he has enough energy for the rest of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the entire orphanage: members of Rin's fan's club tbh


	7. G is for Gifts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole adoption process here is unrealistic either because “people don’t care that much” or “people care more than that”, I’m not sure which one is true and i’m scared to find out. (It is def illegal to adopt someone younger than 7 if you're unmarried tho.)
> 
> anyway this is a double update, I’m sorry for being late

All things considered, adopting a child is not that hard, especially when you’ve entrenched yourself as a family-friendly character who funds orphanages and clinics. Technically, it is illegal to adopt a child when you’re not married or at least have a partner, but Aiichirou turns seven in a few weeks, and that gives Sousuke the option to put him into his family register as an adopted son. It’s not exactly what he wants, but it’s good enough.

He only has to prove that he has an appropriate home and support system.

“They’re sending Aki-chan,” Makoto explains, yawning after. It’s 11 pm and Sousuke has only finished work a few minutes ago.

“Sorry for calling this late,” Sousuke says. It’s hard to find time to talk about this with anyone, especially since Rin hasn’t been by for a few days. He should have checked the time before asking about the social worker visiting him tomorrow. Makoto’s been kind enough to answer all his questions so far, but he must be bordering on annoying now.

“It’s okay. I’m happy you care so much.”

Sousuke can hear that gentle smile Makoto often wears when he is talking about the children. It makes him smile too, makes him remember about Aiichirou’s passionate explanation about why Mako’nii is the best person to ever exist in this world.

“I’m used to people coming into my house and judging me, but it’s never been this important,” Sousuke says.

Makoto laughs. “That sounds awful,” he says. “Coming into your house and judging you?”

“Rin throws parties here during special occasions or for charity events,” he says. “The executives love stabbing me on the back when they’re drunk. Of course, on their own and not where I can hear, but…”

“You hear about it anyway?”

“That’s why I have Rin and Haruka.”

Makoto hums, going quiet for a few moments. “Aki’s fair. She knows about Ai-chan’s condition, and you’ve got enough connection to sway anyone, so this is really just formalities.”

“Yeah, I know,” he says. “But I want to pass. I want to prove…” He doesn’t really know what he wants to prove. That he doesn’t need to grease the wheels much? That his money isn’t the only thing that makes him perfect for this? That he cares about Aiichirou?

“You’ve already proven yourself to who matters,” Makoto says gently.

Sousuke blinks. “To you?” He hasn’t talked to any other helper as much as he’s talked to Makoto the past few weeks.

“No!” Makoto actually sounds shocked by his question. “To Ai-chan! He likes you. He’s thrilled at the idea of having you as his dad.”

Warmth fills his chest at the thought. He hasn’t seen Aiichirou the past week because of how busy he is with the process and with preparing everything for this interview, but Makoto’s been kind enough to let him speak a few times to Aiichirou when he called early. During those calls, Sousuke hears the clear excitement and the fragile hope in the child’s voice. It makes him work harder to finish this as quickly as he can.

“I’m glad.”

“Mm. So don’t worry, okay? Be there on time, be honest with her, and everything will be fine.”

“Thank you,” Sousuke says. He takes a deep breath and forces himself to relax. “You should go to sleep. Thank you for answering my call.”

“Anytime.”

 

Because he has the worst executives known to mankind, Sousuke almost runs late to his family interview. The only reason he gets out of that meeting is because Rin somehow finds a way to sic the executives’ wife on him, making him stutter an apology as he quickly walks out of the office to go home to his wife. Haruka drags him to the car as soon as the executive is gone, and then he drives them to Sousuke’s house at top speed.

He comes home 5 minutes before Aki is supposed to arrive.

“Are you going to change, sir?” Marie, his head housekeeper, asks as soon as the car door opens. Without waiting for his reply, she sprays cologne on his wrist and takes his hand to rub it on the sides of his neck. He doesn’t know why everyone he’s hired are bossy, but he guesses he won’t survive without them, so he lets her be.

“Apparently not,” he says dryly.

“Are you coming, too?” she asks Haruka.

Haruka shakes his head. “I still have a few things to do in the office,” he says.

“Rin’s coming though, right? He better not be late.”

“I’ll check. He was finishing up when we got out.” He sighs and gives her a flat look as he goes back to the car.

She smiles brightly, ignoring his glare. “Thanks!” When the car drives off their long driveway, she immediately walks inside the house, barely waiting for Sousuke to follow. She starts listing everything the housekeepers did today, from the change in drapes in the lounge to the snacks the chef made for their meeting. The house is abuzz with excitement at the prospect of a child living in this house again.

 

Gou is sitting in the only loveseat in the lounge when Sousuke walks in.

“Hey,” he greets, sitting beside her on the chair instead of the large sectional beside it. She complains but scoots to the side to give him space. He puts an arm around her shoulders. “Thanks for coming here.”

“It’s no big deal,” Gou says. “Marie’s been bribing me with snacks too, so I’m fully paid.”

He laughs. “That’s what you wanted?”

“Of course,” she huffs. “I only come here for your fancy finger food.”

“Not my excellent company, huh?”

“As if you’re home enough,” she says, raising an eyebrow. “Although, I guess that’s going to change now?”

Sousuke nods seriously. If this goes through, he’ll come home at a decent time everyday and use his day-offs properly. He’s got a strong enough grasp on the company that no one can usurp his position without his knowledge, and the company is stable enough that he doesn’t need to go on overtime every night the way he did when his parents died. He and Rin has spent a lot of time lately trying to put their pieces in place. When this adoption goes through, no executive will be able to use this against him.

She grimaces at the look on his face, poking him on the forehead.

“Calm down.”

“I am calm,” he says.

“You look like you’re getting ready for battle,” she says. “This isn’t one, right?”

He shrugs. “We’ll see.”

 

Aki is a social worker assigned to assess most applications that go through for the Little Paradise Children’s Home. She has a kind face, but her eyes has Haruka’s quiet sharpness. She is taller than Gou, but smaller than Sousuke. When she shakes Sousuke’s hand, her grip is firm and feels like a test.

Sousuke is scared of her.

She sees that and laughs melodiously, telling him to relax before diving in to her questions without any preamble.

 _Be honest with her,_ Sousuke reminds himself as he talks about his work and how busy he always is. He emphasizes the changes they’re working towards, and the amount of time he’s spent in the orphanage.

When she’s done grilling him about his work and home life, she stares at him for a few seconds in silence.

Then she asks, “Do you feel ready for the responsibility of having a child?”

He’s spent weeks, _months_ , deliberating this. He smiles confidently and says, “Yes.”

 

Rin does end up late, but he brings a character cake that makes Aki laugh. It seems like he’s already charmed her with that. Sousuke and Gou shares a look, as always amused by Rin’s penchant for making people like him immediately.

Aki asks Sousuke to leave the room so she can talk to Rin, Gou and Marie alone.

Rin gives him a thumbs up. Gou smiles in encouragement. Marie tells him to not get lost on his way to his office.

“Be thankful I like you,” he grumps.

“I know, young master,” she says cheerfully, then turns towards Aki to offer her some sweets.

Her attitude actually makes him feel better as he walks out of the room. It feels like any other evening after a long tiring day at work. Still, there’s a light buzzing under his skin that can’t be anything but anxiety. He walks to his office (without getting lost, because it’s _his_ _house_ even if it’s unnecessarily big and maze-like in some areas), and takes out his phone from his pocket.

He places it on his desk and sits on his office chair, staring down at the screen.

It’s 5 pm. Makoto will be in one of his part-time jobs right now. Sousuke is never sure which one, since they don’t talk at any set time. He mostly calls whenever he’s free, and hopes that Makoto is free too.

He groans as he thinks about how selfish that is. He really should be better about that.

As he thinks about how much of a bother he’s been, his phone rings.

 _ **Makoto Tachibana** is calling_.

He answers quickly.

“Hello?”

“Oh! Hi! Is it done?” Makoto sounds jittery with nerves. “I’m on my break and I just wanted to check up on you. Is it…”

Sousuke finds himself laughing. “I thought you said I shouldn’t be nervous,” he teases. “You sound like you’re going to jump out of your skin.”

“I meant what I said,” Makoto says, and there’s a pout in his voice. It makes Sousuke laugh even more. “It’s going to be fine! I’m not nervous about that!”

“Oh? So what are you nervous about?”

“N-nothing!”

Sousuke can imagine him blushing to the tips of his ears. It’s one expression he often sees when he visits and Haruka is there muttering things only Makoto hears. He doesn’t really understand that friendship, since it’s so different from his and Rin’s, but he likes seeing them interact. Haruka fluctuates between protective and mildly teasing, and Makoto either fusses over him or goes red in embarrassment. It’s amusing to watch.

“Anyway,” Makoto says, when Sousuke is quiet for too long, “how was it?”

“She’s talking to Rin and the others right now,” he says. “She asked me about work and how much time I spend at home. Mostly the questions you told me about. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

“Seriously, it means a lot. Thank you.” Sousuke wants him to understand how grateful he is. He’s new to this, and having Makoto’s reassurance has been a gift for him. “I don’t think I would have survived this week without your help.”

“I’m always happy to help,” Makoto says. “Besides, it isn’t over yet.”

“Yeah, it’s just the start, huh?” Sousuke groans and hangs his head down in defeat. He’s so _tired_. He knows this whole process is worth it, and that he has it easy compared to others, but it’s still tiring.

“You’ll be fine.”

Sousuke wills himself to believe that.

 

Marie calls him back about thirty minutes later, and Sousuke goes into the room to see Rin offering to drive Aki to the train station. Gou is putting back a few things into her bag. When Sousuke steps closer, he sees photo albums and a video camera.

“What…”

Gou looks up, giving him a cheeky grin. “She wanted to know about you,” she says innocently.

“Was it fun?” he asks dryly.

“Very,” she says with a laugh. “She was very impressed. You’re welcome.”

He rolls his eyes, but walks over to hug her anyway. “Thank you,” he whispers into her hair.

“Anything for family,” she says, just as softly.

 

Marie ushers Gou and Rin away to bring their things to their respective rooms, since they will be spending the night as customary for these visits. Aki takes it as cue to walk Sousuke through her thoughts and the upcoming steps he has to think of. There isn't much he has to do but wait.

“All in all, I think you make a good case,” Aki says in the end. “I can see you care about Aiichirou-kun, and I’ve heard nothing but praise from the orphanage helpers and from the character interviews I’ve made. You’re financially stable and have no bad record. It’s perfect on paper.”

Sousuke cringes. “On paper?”

Aki’s eyes grow wide. “Ah! I mean, it’s perfect. You’re a great candidate. I’m sorry, I didn’t mean anything…”

“If you have anything you want to say, please do tell me,” Sousuke says, as gently as he can. He does want to know. “I’d appreciate any advice.”

“Oh,” Aki says, focusing on him with renewed interest. She seems to be studying him more closely than before. “You’re nervous?”

“Of course. I’ve been nervous about this for a while.”

“Huh. It really doesn’t show,” she says, smiling a bit. “I guess that’s a company president skill.”

Sousuke nods. “I’ve been taught to have a poker face the same way children were taught to ride a bike,” he says lightly.

“Hm, yeah, that’s what I’ve been worried about,” she says candidly. “But you care about Aiichirou-kun, and you’ve got great people on your side.” She sighs. “I’m sorry for saying that. I do think you’ll make a good dad. You’ll have to learn about a lot of things, though.”

“I’m a fast learner.”

Aki smiles. “Then, I’m sure you’ll do well.”

 

* * *

 

 

In the bustle of his preparation for the interview and the company’s last push for the Christmas Rush, Sousuke doesn’t think about preparing gifts until there are only ten days until Christmas. He doesn’t even think about it when he sees the giant Christmas tree in their lounge, or when he signs off on the budget for their Christmas party.

Rin, of course, is the one who reminds him.

“I’m bringing gifts to the orphanages that morning before I come back here for the party,” Rin explains.

“Gifts?”

“For Christmas. I already bought a Santa costume.”

Of course he did. Sousuke is pretty sure Haruka was angrily muttering about this while shredding papers yesterday. (He doesn’t know if it’s because the image of Rin wearing a Santa costume is too cute, or if Haruka has some other reason. Sousuke tries not to think about their relationship too much. It gives him a headache.)

“Have you bought something for Ai-chan?”

That is not part of his plan. He has a checklist of things to do, and buying a gift is not on it. He’s been too stressed by the new Christmas line of toys, and the party, and the holiday specials, that he forgot to buy a gift.

“I’ll be a horrible dad,” Sousuke moans, dropping his head on the desk. “I can’t believe I pulled a Yamazaki.”

“Hey, hey,” Rin says, going around the table to pull him. “There’s still time.” He pauses. “Pulled a Yamazaki? Really? Your father will haunt you.”

“It’s a time-honoured tradition to forget giving your child a gift,” Sousuke says, scowling. “It’s in my blood.”

“There’s _still_ time,” Rin repeats. “You’ll think of something.”

 

Two days later, he still has no idea what to give Aiichirou. He can’t think of anything that will top the mascot gift. He wants something special to commemorate Aiichirou’s adoption, plus his birthday is a week later so Sousuke has to think about that too. He wants to go all-in.

Before he can dial Makoto’s number to ask him, his phone rings with a call from the very man he wants to talk to.

“Hey!” he greets. “I was just about to call you.”

Makoto is silent for a beat before he goes, “Ah. That’s—“ He clears his throat. “Did Haru already tell you about the house visit?”

“What?” Sousuke freezes. “Do you mean…?”

“Yes,” Makoto says, smile in his voice. “Your application is done and you can schedule for a House Visit next week.”

“Will December 24 work?” He wants to spend Christmas with Aiichirou, but he has prior engagement, and he thinks it’s too soon. Besides, the children at the orphanage will have a blast with whatever Rin is planning for sure.

“I think it will. I’ll check later and text you?”

“Thank you. Oh, and…” If Aiichirou is coming over for the first time, it’s all the more important that Sousuke finds a perfect gift. “Are you free tomorrow for lunch?”

Another silence.

“Um.” There’s a gust of air as Makoto sighs. “Yes? I’ll be at the orphanage tomorrow but there are enough helpers that I can slip away for lunch.”

“Good! I’ll make a reservation and text you the details later.”

“Uhhh… okay,” Makoto says, coughing. The weather is getting particularly cold now; Sousuke hopes he’s not coming down with something. “See you tomorrow?”

“See you.”

 

 

Sousuke is not used to meeting people outside of business transactions. The only friends he has who meet up with him often are people who also work in the same building or cousins who go visit him at home. He’s never had real friends he can meet up with casually.

That’s how he ends up reserving a table from a French restaurant a few blocks from the orphanage.

Makoto is inside by the time Sousuke comes in five minutes late. He’s wearing a maroon sweater over a white shirt, and black slacks. It’s the first time Sousuke has seen him this dressed up. He often only sees the other man wearing his uniform for his various part-time jobs or a yellow apron from the orphanage.

He feels a little guilty for making Makoto dress up for him. He should have chosen a coffee shop or something more casual.

“Hey,” he greets, pulling a chair and sitting down across him.

“Hi,” Makoto says with an aborted wave of the hand. He looks embarrassed. “This is fancy.”

Sousuke grimaces. “Yeah, sorry,” he says. “I eat here a lot for meetings, so… I didn’t realize it’s too formal?”

Makoto laughs. “Well, as long as you’re paying.”

“I’m the one asking for a favor, so everything’s my treat,” he says. He takes the menu. “Have you ordered?”

“Not yet,” Makoto says, blushing. “I don’t really know which is good.”

The menu is mostly in French, but it has Japanese descriptions under it. Sousuke can understand not wanting to order, since most people would just point at the pictures instead of trying to say the words on the menu. Again, he feels guilty for not realizing this earlier.

“I’ll order for both of us. Is that okay?”

Makoto nods. Sousuke flags down a waiter, and he orders dishes he knows from experience are good. He knows the food here is authentic, having tasted real French cooking during his college years when he stayed in France for a while. He likes ordering in the language and having to converse with the waiters. It reminds him of that idyllic period in his life.

When Sousuke looks up after the waiter leaves, he sees Makoto staring at him with wide eyes.

“Hm?”

Makoto shakes his head, red tinting his cheeks. He takes his glass of water and gulps some, almost frantically. “Nothing,” he squeaks.

Sousuke laughs at his expression. “What?”

“Rin told me you speak French, but I didn’t…” Makoto turns even redder. “You were good.”

He wonders why his best friend would tell Makoto that. What kind of conversation leads to that? Then again, Rin and Makoto has been spending a lot of time in the orphanage, so Sousuke has no idea what kind of relationship they have now. Rin is open with people he likes, so he must have let it slip while reminiscing something.

While they wait for the food to arrive, Sousuke goes on to explain the reason he asked Makoto here today. He watches Makoto’s nervous expression melt away into a determined one, the kind he always wears when he wants to do what’s best for the children. Makoto nods as he listens, humming in response a few times. Sousuke’s never met anyone as good at listening as Makoto.

“I think I’ve got something perfect,” Makoto says, later, after their food arrives. “I’m glad I brought it.” He moves to take something from his bag, but Sousuke raises one hand to stop him.

“After we eat?” Sousuke says. “It’s a waste to not enjoy this food.”

Makoto blinks, as if only noticing the food in front of him. He stares down at the steak in awe.

“Dig in.”

Sousuke can only smile as Makoto takes one bite of the steak and moans in satisfaction. Well, at least the food’s worth it.

 

After the waiter takes away their plates and gives them the desert menu, Makoto rummages through his bag. He pulls out a scrapbook from inside.

“I got this for you,” Makoto says.

Sousuke squints down at the decorative cover. “I didn’t get you a gift,” he says. Was this an early Christmas present? He didn't know they were that close.

Makoto laughs. “It’s not… it’s not really a gift.” He opens to the first page, showing a picture of Aiichirou as a baby.

Sousuke eagerly pulls it to look more closely. There are pages of pictures, and then some printed copies of Aiichirou’s artworks. There are accounts of firsts, like his first word, his first time standing up, and his first book. It’s a whole collection of things Sousuke has missed in Aiichirou’s childhood.

He feels emotional, looking down at it.

“Thank you,” he says, and he knows he sounds choked with feelings.

Makoto simply smiles softly. He waits for Sousuke to go through all of it, before stopping him at a particular page.

“Here,” he says. “Wouldn’t this be a great gift?”

Sousuke stares down at the page and nods. “Yeah, this is perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly torn between cackling or feeling bad for what i’m putting makoto through?? Like im cackling but also i will fight sousuke yamazaki maybe


	8. H is for Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is the second chapter of a double update so check the previous one if you haven't read it

With one of their biggest contracts happening at the same time as the Christmas Rush and the TV show planning stage, Rin is pulled in all directions at all times.

He has only seen Sousuke once in the past two weeks, and that was only because he had to talk to Aki for Sousuke’s character interviews. He and Gou slept in Sousuke’s house, like old times. That was probably the last time he felt comfortable and peaceful.

It has been more than a week of continuous work with no breaks.

Now, he’s trying his hardest to not scream at the producer who insists that this new actor is _perfect_ even if literally everyone else can see that the child looks stiff when interacting with the animatronics for the show. His mind is already spinning with what he should do next.

When the producer leaves, his mind continues to spin.

The world is spinning.

_Ah._

He hears the door open, but when he stands up to greet Kisumi, he feels his knees buckle.

“Rin!”

It echoes like it’s from far away. He closes his eyes and surrenders to the darkness.

 

 

* * *

 

 

He knows he’s messed up when he opens his eyes and sees white fluorescent lights and a concrete ceiling. The bed under him feels hard and completely different from the memory foam he has at home. There’s the telltale sound of beeping somewhere outside.

He looks to the side of the bed to see Kisumi sniffling and holding on to his hand.

“You look like someone died,” he says, quietly.

Kisumi startles, and then glares at him. “You looked like you died,” he says. “I _told you_ to stop working so hard.”

“Sorry.”

He really is. It’s not often that he works himself into this kind of situation. He knows his limits, and he toes that line often enough to know when to stop. It seems he didn’t notice it this time, though.

Is it because of how important the new contracts are? Is it excessive stress from Sousuke’s new situation? Is it that producer adding to his stress by being insufferable? He doesn’t know. He feels like he should figure it out, so that it won’t happen again.

Kisumi squeezes his hand and gives him a small smile.

“I’ll be nice,” he says. “I know Sousuke and Haru will scold you enough for all of us.”

Rin cringes. “You told them?”

Rolling his eyes, Kisumi pinches his arm and says, “We had to carry you to your car. The whole office knows.”

His eyes grow wide in shock.

“Does that mean the investors for my… The executives…”

“Hey,” Kisumi says gently. “It’s cool. Those old people think you’re _hard-working_ since you collapsed and all.”

“Thank god for archaic ideals, then,” Rin sighs.

“Sousuke and Haruka were out when it happened, but I’m sure someone reported to them.”

“It’s not even that bad,” Rin groans. “I’ve heard about Sousuke’s surgery, you know? I leave him for a few months and suddenly he forgets to eat.”

“That’s why he hired Haru,” Kisumi says. He looks down then, guilt clear in his entire posture. “I should have made you stop before this happened.”

“None of that. This is my fault. I know I’m stubborn.”

“You are the most stubborn person on Earth,” Kisumi agrees reluctantly. “You should rest more. You need sleep.”

“How long do I have to stay here?”

“Overnight,” Kisumi says. “It’s just dehydration and fatigue. Go rest.”

Rin nods and goes back to sleep.

 

 

When he wakes up again, Sousuke is at his side looking down at the IV on his arm. He is scowling, but he doesn’t look as angry at Rin thought he would be.

“Sousuke?”

“Sorry,” Sousuke says immediately. “I’m sorry.”

Rin blinks. “What?”

“I put too much on your plate. It was selfish. I didn’t even notice you were being overworked.”

“Oi, asshole,” Rin says, reaching over to hit him on the arm. The weakness of the slap takes away from his point, but he needs to make Sousuke look at him. “Sure, you’re the boss and all, but I put all of this on my own plate. You never asked me to do any of it.”

“I asked you to come to my house even when you’re busy,” Sousuke says, almost petulantly.

“That was rest,” Rin says with a glare. “I _like_ sleeping over at your house and being served fancy dinner. That’s not at all part of why this happened.”

“Still. I should have noticed.”

“When? We haven’t seen each other because we’re _both_ busy. You have your plate full, too.” Rin knows how much work Sousuke’s been doing in preparation for the future backlash of his plans. Adopting a child will be seen as a weakness or even a mistake by some of the traditional people in the board, and Sousuke’s been working all hours to grasp the company properly before the news comes out.

“Look,” Rin says, “I didn’t notice either when you developed an ulcer because you’re shitty at taking care of yourself. I felt bad then, and you told me not to.”

“You weren’t in the country when that happened,” Sousuke complains.

“Same difference.”

Sousuke sighs. “Fine. But I’m forcing you to go on leave for at least a few days.”

“No,” Rin says with a grimace. “You can’t do that.”

“I can. I’m your boss.”

“But the contracts…”

“There are other people in the company who can handle that,” Sousuke says firmly. “I can take some of your load now that my application has been—”

“Wait, really?!”

Just like that, it feels like a burst of energy entered Rin’s system. He finds himself grinning widely at his best friend. He feels so proud.

“Yeah. I just found out yesterday. I was going to tell you today, but…”

“That’s awesome!” Rin wants to sit up, but he knows Sousuke will push him back down if he tries. He really wants to hug his best friend now though. “Ai-chan will be so happy!”

Sousuke rolls his eyes at Rin’s excitement. “Calm down,” he says. “Don’t get too excited. You need more rest.”

“Nope. Can’t. Too excited now.”

“You’re insufferable.”

Rin gives him a cheeky grin. “I know.”

 

 

He is scheduled to be released after lunch, so he doesn’t expect any other visitor than Sousuke and Kisumi, who both came in as soon as visiting hours started. Since he’s only here for a day, he assumes most of the people from the office will contact him some other way when he goes home. They’ll probably visit him by batch during his exile from work.

He doesn’t expect the door to open to reveal Naoko from PR and the director for the TV show they’re producing.

He blinks at them in confusion, sitting up.

“Good morning,” Naoko greets. She brings a small bouquet of flowers to the side table. “I heard you’re being discharged today.”

“Yeah,” he says. “You didn’t have to visit.” He eyes the director warily, wondering why they’re here.

“So. Uh.” Naoko fidget, then elbows the director.

“We’re sorry?” the director says, bowing his bald head. Rin stares at the shiny surface without comment. “We’ve been making a mess and our producer went to your office without telling any of us, and that’s— it was unprofessional, and we even knew you were busy with all kinds of things but we still called you over so many times and—”

Rin raises both his hands to stop his tirade. His anxious words are giving Rin a headache.

“Then get your act together,” he says sternly. “Instead of saying sorry to me and giving me empty gifts, do your job.”

Naoko smiles brightly at that, and when the director looks up, his eyes are shining with awe.

Well then. That’s one problem temporarily solved.

Before Rin can say anything more, the door opens again to reveal another guest he isn’t expecting to see.

Nagisa is wearing a hand-made Doppelganger mask, and a red cape made from tattered red fabric. He scans the room with his fists on his waists as if he’s a hero using his x-ray vision to look for enemies. When he spots Rin, he ignores the other adults inside and runs to the center of the room by the foot of Rin’s bed.

“Power of two becomes one,” he says, raising one hand diagonally and lifting the other to his side as with Doppelganger’s initial pose. “Transforming my strength into yours.” He slowly moves his arms until they’re pointing at Rin. “Super Fusion…”

“Doppelganger!” Rin says with him, crossing his arms into an X for the final pose.

“With that, you are stronger,” Nagisa says the final line with a heaviness, like he’s declaring them as fact.

Rin smiles widely. “I feel stronger,” he says. “Thank you.”

Nagisa nods before walking over to the side of his bed and climbing the chair there. He hums as he makes himself comfortable, letting his feet sway beneath him.

“Who brought you here?”

“I did.”

In the commotion, Rin didn’t even notice Haruka at the door. He must have came in after Nagisa started his dramatic entrance.

“Thank you,” he says sincerely. He feels energized after seeing Nagisa do that, and he feels even stronger now that he’s seen Haruka.

Haruka nods but his face is blank when he walks to the other side of the bed. He sits without another word. Rin has known him long enough to know he’s annoyed, or angry. Being nice enough to bring Nagisa does not erase the fact that Rin’s situation is exactly the thing Haruka has been telling him to be careful of.

“Uh!” Naoko and the director steps back closer to the door, feeling the tension. “We’ll get back to work, then. Take care, Matsuoka-san!” They close the door behind them.

“Are you okay now?” Nagisa asks, eyes roving around his hospital robe and then the IV on his arms to the drip hanging by the pole.

“I’m fine,” Rin says. “You gave me your powers, right?”

“You’re Doppelganger,” Nagisa says easily. “It’s yours.”

“Ah. That’s true.”

“Rei-chan made me this mask,” Nagisa continues, tugging at the mask and handing it over to him. “And Mako-chan made me this cape. It’s cool, right?”

“Very cool. You look like a real hero.”

Nagisa beams for a moment, before his eyes drop down to the IV again. “You don’t look like a hero right now.”

“Even heroes lose sometimes,” Rin says sagely.

“In the middle of the episode?”

“Yeah. But they win in the end, right?”

Nagisa thinks about that for a moment, then nods.

“I’ll get back to my real form soon, I promise.”

“Will you have a power-up?” Nagisa asks excitedly.

Rin laughs, and thinks about the Santa suit he bought a few days ago. He wonders if he can integrate it with the Doppelganger look. He’s pretty sure Doppelganger got a Christmas upgrade during one holiday film. He’ll have to look it up later.

“You’ll see,” he answers cryptically, making Nagisa giggle.

Nagisa fills him in on the things he missed out while he was busy. The orphanage is fully decked out on Christmas decorations now, and the Big Brother Program staff brought gingerbread for a designing activity last week. They’ve even brought a Santa Claus to ask the children what they want. Nagisa talks about what each of his friends want, and then goes on a tangent about the latest episode of an anime he’s watching.

Rin listens attentively, feeling himself relax fully. Nagisa always has the power to make him feel lighter, like his personal healing angel.

He almost forgets Haruka is there, until Sousuke comes in to take Nagisa back to the orphanage.

“Haruka’s driving you home,” Sousuke explains with a shrug. “I’m meeting Makoto so I’m bringing Nagisa back.”

Rin scowls at him. His best friend knows full well how much trouble Rin is in right now, and Sousuke’s just throwing him to the wolves. Where’s the worry? The compassion? Sousuke is a traitor.

Haruka helps him prepare to be discharged and takes his bag from him, but never speaks. It’s unnerving. Even though Haruka is often quiet, he has sassy comebacks and pointed comments that breaks the silence. He is never like this unless he’s truly angry.

Rin braces himself for the worst.

 

 

“Let it out already,” Rin can’t help but blurt once they are in the car. “Scold me, yell at me, whatever you want. Don’t just… It’s scary.”

“Sorry for scaring you,” Haruka says nonchalantly.

“Seriously,” Rin pleads. “Come on. I know you’re angry.”

“I’m not angry,” Haruka says. It feels like déjà vu, the way he hisses that out. A few months ago, didn’t they have the same conversation?

“You are, though.”

“I’m not angry at _you_ ,” he says.

“Really?” Rin stares at him. He thinks Haruka has every right to be angry at him for not taking care of himself when Haruka has told him numerous times that Sousuke is counting on him to stay healthy.

Haruka grits his teeth and starts the car.

Rin waits.

“I’m angry at you,” Haruka concedes, after a while. “I’m angry at Sousuke. And Kisumi. And myself.”

“What?”

“You’re insufferable.”

“So I’ve been told.”

“You work too hard, and you want to make sure everything works well,” Haruka continues, seemingly on a roll now. “And usually that’s good for all of us, because you are good at your job. Your work is flawless.”

Rin blushes and tries to come up with a response, but Haruka barrels through before he can formulate anything.

“But you found something in the orphanage,” Haruka says. “You’re invested more than Sousuke is, and I saw that, but I didn’t think—” He grips the steering wheel hard and purses his lips. “You’re selfless in the most selfish way, and it’s annoying.”

None of that makes sense.

“What?”

“You trust your subordinates to do their job, but in the end, you give yourself the most work because you care too much,” Haruka explains, like Rin is stupid for not understanding this. “When I told you Sousuke counts on you, this isn’t what I meant.”

“What did you mean?” Rin’s been using Haruka’s words as some kind of mantra for when he feels overwhelmed by work. He knows Sousuke needed him more than usual, and he thinks he rose up to the challenge just fine, barring this incident. It’s not his fault Christmas Rush is the worst time of the year for him.

“He wants you healthy by his side,” Haruka says. “You’re important.”

The way he says that makes it feel like he’s saying more, like there’s something heavier under the surface. Rin closes his eyes and leans on the window, unable to look at Haruka’s expression any longer.

“I’m sorry,” he whispers.

Before he falls asleep, Rin thinks he hears Haruka say, “Don’t ever do this to me again,” in the most heartbreaking tone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this isn’t usually rin’s plot (it’s haruka’s and ikuya’s and sousuke’s) but it just felt right in the situation so i went for it.   
> also can i just-- i love nagisa so much, he's MY son
> 
> Is it ooc that haruka has So Many Feelings, or is it understandable because he’s been having these Feelings for months now and rin really Did That… idk


	9. I is for Interior Design and Introductions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> previously: sousuke decides to adopt nitori, receives a scrapbook from makoto. rin faints because of exhaustion and is sent to a hospital.

At first, with Makoto’s scrapbook in hand, he does what he always does: he makes a list of tasks and focuses on doing all of them on his own. The page Makoto showed him has enough information for him to infer what the gift has to look like. He knows Aiichirou’s favorite things, from colors to books to movies. If he treats this like any other project, he can finish it in the one week he has left before Christmas Eve.

The idea of disappointing Aiichirou haunts him, but he tries to push that thought away.

 

Of course, Rin finds him in his childhood bedroom two days later, an unimpressed expression on his face.

Sousuke gives him the same look.

“You’re supposed to be resting at home,” Sousuke says.

Rin doesn’t even deign to give him a response, simply looking around the stripped walls and the empty room. He walks inside and sits beside Sousuke on the ground. With a considering hum, he pulls out the interior design magazine in Sousuke’s hand to peruse it himself. His unimpressed expression remains unchanging the entire time.

“You should be resting,” Sousuke repeats more firmly. Rin was released yesterday afternoon. One day is not enough rest for that kind of exhaustion. He _fainted_. Sousuke still feels bad about it.

“I _am_ resting,” Rin says, eyes still on the magazine. He seems to be reading the little post-it notes Sousuke has on the page. “Gou drove me here on her way to work, since she knows I’ll eat better if Marie feeds me.”

“She is the best of us.”

“True,” Rin agrees easily. “Anyway, I’ve been here since this morning, and I only realized you were here and not at the office because Haruka called me.”

Sousuke smirks. “He called you, huh?”

“To tell me you’re not there, dick,” Rin says, hitting him on the arm. It’s a pretty strong punch so maybe he really is better.

“Was that the only reason?” Haruka knows that Sousuke is staying home today, so he’s sure Haruka didn’t call Rin to search for him. Though, he might have used Sousuke as an excuse to check on Rin. It sounds like something Sousuke’s stubborn assistant would do.

Rin blushes and hits him again.

“I asked Marie about what you were doing here,” he says after a beat. He puts the magazine down beside him and looks around the room. “She said she doesn’t know. It’s a personal project or something. Haru doesn’t know, either.”

“It’s a surprise.”

“Then let me in on it,” Rin says. “I can help.”

“It’s my gift for Aiichirou,” Sousuke explains. “I have to do it on my own.”

Rin sighs heavily, picks up the magazine and uses it to gesture to the whole room. The stripped walls feel like they’re mocking Sousuke’s decisions too.

“This is too big a project for one person,” Rin says. “You’re a leader. Come on. You know a project needs members.”

“This isn’t a project. It’s a gift.”

“You’re so stubborn,” Rin groans. He stands up and pulls at Sousuke’s arm. “How did you become a CEO with that kind of attitude again?”

“I was born into a rich family, I’m smart, and I have blackmail on people,” Sousuke deadpans.

It’s true, though. Rin has crawled his way from the bottom ranks, and the reason why he’s so successful is because he knows how to work with people. Sousuke was born on top, and all he needed to learn was how to kick people who tried to drag him down. That’s why Rin is so important to the company. Sousuke knows he would have failed if he didn’t have his best friend by his side (the same way Rin wouldn’t have been given the chance to succeed this early, if not for Sousuke’s influence).

“Whatever,” Rin says, pulling harder until Sousuke is standing up beside him. “Use that money to pay contractors into putting up a wallpaper or something. Hire an interior designer.”

“I don’t want to.”

“ _Sousuke_.”

“No,” Sousuke says. “I mean.” He breathes in deep, and thinks about what this means to him. This isn’t for the company. This is more important. He wants to do this on his own terms. “I’ll hire people, but not an interior designer. I already have a plan in mind.”

With that, Sousuke gives up on resisting. He walks over to the corner of the room and takes out the scrapbook containing all he needs to make this work.

 

Sousuke may be stubborn, but even he knows that together with Rin, he can accomplish anything. Throw in Marie and Haruka, and he has a formidable team in his hands.

Rin’s seemingly infinite phonebook yields numbers for contractors who can do something about the mess Sousuke has made of the walls. He also has furniture makers on standby, in case Sousuke needs something done quickly. Marie’s practicality and experience with dealing with Sousuke since he was a child has its uses too. She tells them to put a few furnitures, but not any unnecessary electronics. A bedroom is for rest, after all.

Haruka offers to paint a mural on one wall, when Sousuke shows him the plans.

Even with only five days left, Sousuke is confident they can make something amazing.

 

 

Makoto sends him a link to a parenting blog, and when Sousuke opens it, he cannot help but click back to call Makoto.

“It’s _perfect_ ,” he says, instead of a hello.

Makoto laughs. “I know!”

“He’ll love it,” Sousuke says happily, already imagining Aiichirou’s expression.

“Can you make it, though? It’s only a few days until—”

“I’ll find a way,” he says, which really means ‘money will find a way’. It’ll be easy to get a team to build it with the right price. YEC contracts a lot of subsidiaries who will be more than willing to impress him. “Thanks for finding it.”

“Ah! It’s no problem. I just— I wasn’t searching for it! I saw it and I thought of— I thought of Ai-chan, and I thought maybe you’d want it for your gift.”

Sousuke still finds it hilarious when Makoto panics for no reason. “Still, I’m thankful. Aiichirou will love it.”

 

 

* * *

 

 

Makoto’s story goes like this: they were watching one episode of Mizushimashima Family where Mizuki—the middle child—gets a room of her own. The children latches on to the idea, so they end up designing their own dream bedrooms. Aiichirou’s is a simple one, with clouds on his wall, stars on the ceiling, and a cat-shaped headboard for the bed. For things he couldn’t draw, he put in words at the side like “cute lamp” and “stuffed toys x 100”.

As most of his projects with Rin goes, the finished product is above and beyond the initial plan.

Haruka doesn’t let him buy a hundred stuffed toys though, no matter how much he and Rin pleads for it. (He shouldn’t have let Haruka steal his wallet.)

 

* * *

 

 

 

The day he fetches Aiichirou for his first house visit, both Sousuke and Aiichirou are jittery with nerves. Sousuke can fake it, but he knows Haruka can still see it from where he’s sitting in the driver’s seat.

“Are you excited?” Sousuke asks.

Aiichirou bounces on his seat with a huge smile, but then he pales and his expression crumples as he closes his eyes tightly. He gulps. Sousuke puts a hand on his arm to steady him.

“I guess we can’t get too excited?” he asks dryly.

Aiichirou nods and ducks his head. He looks ashamed, which isn’t an emotion Sousuke wants him to feel at all, especially not today.

“Hey,” he says. He waits until Aiichirou looks up at him before saying, “I’m excited, too. I can’t wait for you to see the house and meet Marie.”

“Marie?” Aiichirou forgets his shyness in the face of this new information.

“She’s my head housekeeper. She was the daughter of the woman who raised me.”

Aiichirou frowns. “Your mom?”

“Ah.” Sousuke laughs, shaking his head. In front, Haruka lets out a small huff, like he finds it funny too. “No, no. I meant, she’s the daughter of our previous head housekeeper. Right now, she takes care of the whole house and everyone who lives there.” Haruka often sleeps over, as does the Matsuokas, so it isn’t just Sousuke. “She’ll take care of you, too.”

“Me?” Aiichirou’s eyes are wide and surprised, like he still hasn’t realized why he’s going to Sousuke’s.

“If you like living with us, you can stay,” he promises.

“I like Sou-chan,” Aiichirou says, but he looks down like he’s afraid.

“I like you, too.” Sousuke pats him on the head lightly. He hopes he can make him feel more at ease later. He wants Aiichirou to relax in their home, even just a little. He desperately wants this to work.

 

At first, Sousuke plans on bringing in Rin, Haruka, and Makoto into the first house visit. He even plans to invite his closest cousins (the Mikoshibas) to welcome Aiichirou. The idea of doing it alone, even with Marie and the other housekeepers there, is a terrifying prospect.

But when he asked Makoto about it, the response he got was a solid no.

 _“I think it’ll be best if he gets to see you and the people in your house first_ ,” Makoto explained. “ _The whole point of a House Visit is to check your compatibility, after all. I’m sure you’ll do fine._ ”

Sousuke isn’t as confident. Aiichirou’s expression turns pale when he sees the long driveway, and he tenses when he sees the huge house. He should have warned the boy about this. A mansion is shocking to anyone, and Aiichirou definitely isn’t expecting anything like this. It already feels like Sousuke’s failing.

Luckily for him, Marie sees it on his face as soon as Haruka drops them off. She welcomes Aiichirou with the perfect balance of kindness and pep. She introduces herself then asks if he’s hungry, steamrolling through his shyness as gently as she could. When he nods, she offers a hand and they walk hand in hand towards the house while she prattles on about the lunch the chef made for them.

Aiichirou looks a little overwhelmed, but he’s smiling shyly up at her. His shoulders relax a bit as he looks around the house with interest.

Sousuke heaves a big sigh, and hopes for the best.

 

* * *

 

 

When they finish eating the meal the chef made for today (a few of Aiichirou’s favorite dishes with a few of Sousuke’s favorites), the members of the household line up by the dining table to introduce themselves and meet Aiichirou. There are only Marie, the chef Kobayashi, and the two maids Aiko and Uki though. Most of his parent’s servants were laid off when his parents died, and he’s only kept the four to keep the huge house in order.

Aiichirou seems even more awed by the introduction than the house or the large amount of food from earlier. He crawls down his chair to face them, then bows deeply.

“I’m Aiichirou! Please take care of me!”

They all melt. Marie effusively tells him that they are excited to have him live here with them. The others are much more quiet, but no less enthusiastic with their welcome.

 

The staff goes back to their work, but Marie stays to help Sousuke take Aiichirou on a tour of the first floor. They show him the different rooms: from the lounge to the main kitchen, to Sousuke’s office where he usually stays. They tell him about the bedrooms Sousuke’s friends has claimed as their own. Rin and Gou have identical rooms side-by-side, while Haruka’s room is beside Sousuke’s office. Sousuke’s room is by the end of the hall near the backyard porch.

They skip one room, but Aiichirou doesn’t seem to notice.

Instead, Aiichirou asks questions about the pictures he sees on the wall and, when they get to the backyard, about the plants growing in the garden. Sousuke answers each question with a smile, happily watching Aiichirou get acquainted with the house.

 

They leave the gift for last.

Sousuke spends most of the afternoon sitting by the porch with Aiichirou, listening to the boy’s stories about the past few days’ preparation for Christmas in the orphanage. Marie leaves them to talk and goes back to her duties. After that, Aiichirou bombards Sousuke with questions about his ‘family’. He asks about each of the housekeepers like they are the most interesting people he has ever met. Sousuke can see what it is, though. He knows the look of someone who wants to please people. He sees that on Rin’s face a lot, and even on his own sometimes.

He tries to appease Aiichirou’s worries. There is nothing Marie and the others would like more than to welcome a child into this household.

Aiichirou isn’t convinced.

“Well, then,” Sousuke says, pushing off his chair and standing up. “I guess I have to show you our gift.”

“A gift?”

Aiichirou scrambles off his chair quickly and stands beside Sousuke at attention. He reaches up to hold Sousuke’s hand without prompting. It looks like he’s trying to tamp down on his hopeful excitement, but there is a bounce to his steps. He’s rested and relaxed enough now that the rush doesn’t immediately make him feel sick, and for that Sousuke is thankful.

The room is a few doors down from Sousuke’s, right beside the library. The door is as nondescript as every other door. There are scratches though, if you look closely. Rin once tried carving their name at the very bottom before the previous head housekeeper caught them.

It used to be Sousuke’s room.

Now, hopefully, it will be Aiichirou’s.

The setting sun hits the room just right when Sousuke opens the door, and Aiichirou’s soft gasp cuts through the silence. He doesn’t step forward though. His wide shining eyes scan the room as he stands rooted to the spot.

Sousuke feels pride surge inside him.

There is simplicity in the room that makes it feel spacious and comfortable, but there are enough details to show that this is a design they made with Aiichirou in mind. Three of the walls have simple blue wallpaper on them. The one on the right, the one you see when you open the door, has a beautiful mural of a cloudy sky. Sousuke can already imagine buying big wall character stickers and having Aiichirou add to the design.

With the light outside illuminating the room, it doesn’t show, but Rin had painstakingly pasted glow-in-the-dark stickers on the dark blue ceiling. He’s pretty sure it will be accurate to star charts, if he checks.

Sousuke’s old bookshelf and study desk is there, too, although they’ve been repainted to a darker brown. All of the book collections remain intact. Someday, when Aiichirou is old enough, Sousuke wants him to go through all of it. He knows Aiichirou loves to read, and the thought of Aiichirou having Sousuke’s favorite childhood books makes him feel emotional in a way he isn’t expecting.

The most important piece, at least in Sousuke’s opinion, is the bed Makoto chose.

Unlike Aiichirou’s drawing of a simple single bed with a cat headboard, it’s a twin inside a four-poster frame. The foot of the bed has Cat Bus’ gigantic head, and the canopy surrounding the posts imitate the furry windows and its numerous fat paws. Its eyes even light up when you push one button inside. Climbing inside is like riding the Cat Bus.

As expected, when Aiichirou finally unfreezes enough to step inside, he immediately goes to the bed.

Trembling hands reach out to pat the giant cat head. He still doesn’t speak even as he throws himself to hug it.

A few seconds later, Sousuke hears sniffling.

He panics.

“Wha—” He rushes inside and kneels down beside Aiichirou, putting a gentle hand on his back. “What’s wrong?”

“I love it,” Aiichirou says, hands clenching as he held on tighter to the fur. It’s hypoallergenic. Sousuke made sure every bit of this room is perfect for him. “Thank you,” he adds, then sniffles some more. Tears flow freely down his face with no sign of stopping.

Sousuke knows people cry when they’re happy, but the sight still makes his chest ache. He doesn’t know what to say.

“This is my room?” he asks, like he still doesn’t believe it.

“This is your room,” Sousuke confirms. “And this house will be your home.”

Aiichirou lets go of the bed and turns to hug Sousuke.

Sousuke holds him back just as tightly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i uh am emotional
> 
> the bed looks like [this](https://ameblo.jp/leah0607/entry-12280312670.html) (let's say this is the link Makoto sent), except Sousuke hired artists to make it and also gave them super expensive amazing materials, so like. More professionally made? idk i just know that i want it.
> 
> this fic will go to Sunday-only updates bec nanowrimo


	10. J is for Jester

Rin is taking a break for the first time in his seven-years in the company. A one-week break, at that. Sousuke has told the security guards to throw him out if he sneaks inside, Haruka has confiscated his work phone, and Kisumi must have talked to most of the people in the company because they aren’t agreeing to meet him outside of the company either.

Gou even drives him to Sousuke’s to let Marie babysit him.

It’s a bad situation.

The only distraction he gets for the first few days is Sousuke’s decorating woes, and even then, he only has to call Haruka in, plus a few of his most trusted contractors. It isn’t as hands-on as he wants.

Being on leave for real is _boring_.

The last time he had a long leave, he was actually doing a little digging around for Sousuke. He had to pretend to be on vacation to get some dirt on the executive trying to illegally gather shares under the table. It was very much like a spy movie.

It’s the kind of vacation he craves.

The thought of all his projects being ruined because of some careless mistake from some unknown character scares him to death. He has worked too hard on all these projects for it to be ruined by strangers.

Logically, he knows that Sousuke will never let that happen.

Logically, he knows Kisumi is handling most of his projects for the week.

Logically, he knows his subordinates are trustworthy and he has spent the past few years building his team for this very specific situation.

But emotionally, he is a wreck.

As luck have it though, with the right amount of bribery ( _“I’ll approve that rags-to-riches interview you’ve been asking for if you give me information”_ ), Naoko from PR gives in to his request. Stealthily hiding from Marie, Haruka and Sousuke—which is easy given their focus on Sousuke’s gift for Ai—Rin goes to a nearby coffee shop for a meeting.

 

“The producer got fired,” Naoko tells him as soon as they sit down with their coffees. She giggles before sipping her dark roast, eyes gleaming with glee. “I think it was a direct order from Yamazaki-san.”

“That sounds drastic.”

Naoko lifts one eyebrow as if saying ‘ _really? Is it?_ ’

“Okay, so if he got fired, then is the production stalled now or…?” He really doesn’t want this project to flop. This is their first live-action TV show. It’s a hard market to get into but if they succeed, there is a lot to gain.

“Director Goto’s got another producer, someone who understands his vision better. And they’re letting us help search for the main actor, too.”

Rin grins. “Some good came from me being hospitalised then.”

Naoko hits his arm hard, scowling at him in annoyance.

“What?”

“Don’t joke about it,” she scolds. “Shigino-san got so sad, you know? That poor guy felt so bad.”

The image of Kisumi sniffling by his bedside immediately comes to mind. Rin sobers. He knows he worried them, and he should be serious about taking a rest. He’ll go back to Sousuke’s and eat whatever vitamin-packed meal Marie will serve him later. Then he’ll take a nap instead of trying to sneak into Sousuke’s office.

“Yeah, I know. Sorry.”

“As long as you’re repenting properly.” She opens her bag and takes out a folder. “They’ve got a final title and first episode script. All the animatronics are fully functioning, and the voice actors for each have been chosen. The only one missing is the main character.”

“Do you have the audition footages?”

“No,” she says, and there’s something about her smile that makes Rin shudder in fear. It’s her expression when she has a plan in mind that involves using him. “Read up on the concept. I’ll get back to you if they finalize something else.”

 

Rin stays in the coffee shop for another hour after Naoko leaves, reading all the documents she left and taking notes as much as possible.

The show will be entitled _Jester and Friends_ , and will center around a young boy who has a portal under his bed to a fantasy version of his neighborhood. There, he will befriend different creatures and learn all kinds of lessons. The first episode only has one human character, but they’re thinking of having at least three children by the end of the season. It all depends on how perfect the main character is.

Jester needs to be a bright child who can command the screen. He needs to be someone who has a wide imagination, someone who can act with the animatronics and pretend that they are real. He needs to be someone lovable.

None of the audition videos he saw before packs that level of star power.

Something niggles at the back of his mind, though. It feels like he’s _seen_ that kind of star power, but he’s not sure where.

 

It’s two days later when the idea solidifies in his head.

Or rather, it’s two days later when Haruka finds him at Sousuke’s back porch drinking herbal tea, and makes him realize what he's searching for. He sits beside Rin without so much as a greeting, then pulls out a laptop from his bag. He places it on the table in front of them and presses the spacebar to play a video.

It’s a low-quality cellphone video of the orphanage kids in the activity room.

_“What do you want to tell him?” Haruka says from behind the camera._

_“Please get well soon!” The children reply in unison._

_“To give you energy—” Takuya starts._

_“—we have a special present for you,” Kazuki finishes._

_The children all bow before a background music starts playing and they spread out around the room. Rin registers what the song is as the intro goes on: it’s the ending song for Mizushimashima Family, the one that became famous because of its easy dance steps. There are a lot of videos on the internet of children dancing to this song._

_“Mizushimashima Family, let’s go!” Nagisa shouts, raising both hands up to signal everyone._

Rin watches them dance. Rei seems to have memorized all the steps, but he fumbles with the rhythm. Takuya and Kazuki are enthusiastic, although they do end up colliding because of their big movements. Aiichirou is shyly singing at the back and swaying to the song. Ayumu is simply clapping and jumping up and down to the beat.

Nagisa knows the whole song by heart and is singing loudly to it right in front. He doesn’t seem to know the dance as well as the others but he makes up steps with a level of confidence that makes you think he’s the right one and everyone else is wrong. When Rei fumbles badly enough that he looks frustrated, Nagisa drags and spins him around, making him laugh.

Everyone is cute in their own way, but Nagisa has a certain quality to him. Something that makes him shine. Something that attracts anyone’s attention.

A _star-quality_.

“Oh,” Rin says. He pulls the laptop closer, rewinding the video to watch it again.

“Can you send this to me?” he asks Haruka, after watching it a few more times.

Haruka nods. “It’s for you.”

“Can I send it to Naoko?”

“...Why?” Haruka narrows his eyes in suspicion.

Rin weighs the pros and cons of revealing it. On one hand, Haruka will find out that he sneaked out to contact Naoko despite everyone’s warnings against working. It’ll probably make Haruka look at him with that mad _and_ disappointed expression he wears when Rin does something he doesn’t approve of.

On the other hand, he wants a sounding board. Haruka is one of the best employees in their company and Rin knows that Sousuke chose him for a lot of reasons, one of which is his logical unbiased point-of-view. Rin wants to hear his opinion before doing anything too rash.

“Well, here’s the thing…”

 

Haruka gets angry at him at first, though he doesn’t speak. He glares, clenches his fists, and tenses up. That angry silence is more effective than anything, anyway.

He gets over that quickly as soon as Rin explains his idea.

“That’s a huge risk,” Haruka says once he’s finished. “It’s almost unheard of.”

Rin knows that. Perhaps that is the reason why it took him a while to even see this option.

“You’re not saying no,” Rin points out.

“I see your point,” Haruka admits. “And I said it’s a huge _risk_ , not that it’s impossible. I can talk to the legal department, and float the idea to Sasabe-san.”

“You’ll help me?”

Haruka sighs and pulls his laptop away, sending Rin a look as if saying he thinks Rin is being obtuse on purpose. He closes the tab and opens his browser to log into his e-mail.

“Thank you,” Rin says, still stuck on the fact that Haruka’s helping him out.

“I think it’s a good idea,” he replies, as if that’s enough reason for him to put in effort in this.

Then again, maybe it’s because it’s Nagisa. Rin knows that although Haruka does not put in more effort than necessary when it comes to their work, he will do anything for those children.

 

 

With the Christmas Rush, Sousuke’s preparation for Aiichirou’s birthday (and official adoption), the orphanage Christmas Party, and various other holiday events, Rin doesn’t hear from anyone about the _Jester_ production until the new years.

 

“Are you sulking?” Gou asks, sitting beside him on the loveseat in the lounge. It’s the Matsuoka seat, as far as the two are concerned. “You know the children aren’t doing a temple visit, right? Even if you weren’t resting, they still won’t go.”

“I know,” Rin says, even though he thinks he could have done something to make Sasabe approve a visit to the temples for the older kids. “But I wanted to go give them New Years money at least.”

She stares at him for a few seconds before bursting out laughing. Haruka looks up from where he’s typing on the far side of the couch, but he goes back to his task without commenting. Sousuke walks in and watches Gou with clear amusement.

“What is it? What happened?” Marie asks, walking quickly over from the door to put down the tray of snacks. Despite her rush, she doesn’t spill anything, as expected.

“Nii-chan’s sulking because he can’t give the kids _New Years money_ ,” Gou explains.

Sousuke starts chuckling as well, and Marie even has to put a hand to her mouth to hide her laughter. Rin can see Haruka smirking even though he hasn’t stopped typing.

“What’s so funny?” Rin asks, slightly offended by their reaction.

“You’re like a grandpa,” Gou says before giggling again.

“A good neighborly grandpa who gives all the kids _New Years money_ whenever they visit him,” Sousuke says with a shit-eating grin.

Marie nods in agreement.

“It’s normal! It’s normal to want to give kids New Years money! It’s not that funny!” He crosses his arms. “I’ve been giving New Years money to Hayato since he was small!”

“Kisumi will pout if you don’t,” Haruka says without looking up.

“Well, Nagisa will pout if I don’t give them New Years money,” Rin grumbles.

“Ah.” Haruka finally puts his laptop down, turning towards the others with a small smile. “Speaking of Nagisa—”

“Have you received anything?”

Haruka glances at Rin with an exasperated look, before repeating, “Speaking of Nagisa.” He waits a beat, and when Rin doesn’t interrupt again, he continues, “I got permission from Sasabe-san and the legal department. If Nagisa goes in for an audition, and he gets in, we’ve got the labor laws handled.”

“He’ll get in,” Rin says with complete confidence.

 

On his first day back at work, Naoko corners him before he can reach his office.

“Here’s the schedule for your interview,” she says with a bright smile. “And thank you _so much_ for finding a way to get Nagisa-kun to audition.”

“What?”

“You were way faster than us!” she exclaims. “I guess it’s to be expected from Nanase-sama, huh? He got the legal department working hard for it. It was so cool.”

“Faster…? You were thinking of Nagisa, too?”

She nods as if this should have been obvious. “The director saw him in your hospital room, remember? He wanted to make sure we try everything to get him before doing another audition.”

Rin laughs. “Ah. You should have just told me that.”

“If Yamazaki-san or Nanase-san found out I gave you that kind of idea, they’d fire me.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not that bad!”

“Nanase-san wouldn’t stop glaring at me when he found out I met up with you, you know?” she says with a grimace. “It was the scariest moment of my life.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Naoko shakes her head and puts a hand on his shoulder. “The _scariest_ ,” she repeats with feelings. “Please never make him worry again. I don’t think the office would survive another one of those.”

“Whatever you say,” Rin says, dismissing it with a wave of a hand. He knows he worried Haruka, but Haruka’s never let anything change the way he works. He’s sure Naoko is exaggerating to make him feel even worse about what happened. “Let me know when the producer decides on something, okay?”

“Roger!”

 

A few days later, Rin endured his interview, and was rewarded by a call from the director confirming that Nagisa will be the main character of their new TV show.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *New Years Money (otoshidama) is a Japanese traditional custom where adults give money to the children in their family.
> 
> Nagisa's gonna be A STAR


	11. K is for Kin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as in "family / related" -_-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i am sorry for not updating. i was completely dried out during november, and december murdered me in cold blood
> 
> there's no chance i'm going back to weekly updates (bec!! i am going back to uni!!! on top of writing commissions!!!!), but please be assured that this will never be dropped. the remaining 15 has been outlined. we're almost to the halfway point. also this fic is my own wish-fulfilment fic, so i've never even considered giving it up ;; dont worry about it

Sousuke has never been a part of a large family. He didn’t have uncles or aunts on either side of his family, and his grandparents were already gone by the time he was in elementary. The closest relatives he had were the Mikoshibas, who were distant cousins he didn’t interact with until his parents’ funeral.

The Matsuokas are the only loving family he knew while growing up.

With Aiichirou being adopted into the family, Sousuke wants to make sure he has a big warm welcome from everyone.

 

He sets out to Seijuurou’s gym, greeting Isuzu at the front before going to the back office. His cousin greets him with enthusiasm, like always, and then asks him about why he’s visiting.

It isn’t often that Sousuke takes time from his busy schedule to visit. Honestly, the last time he came here was only because Gou bullied him into joining her for a day in the gym. He still thinks the younger Matsuoka is trying to date one of his cousins, although he’s not sure which.

Shaking his head to focus on the point at hand, he explains about Aiichirou and his upcoming surprise birthday party.

“Oh! That sounds awesome!” Sei exclaims. “Momo would love to come meet his cousin!”

Sousuke can’t help but sigh in relief when he hears that. The Yamazakis and the Mikoshibas hasn’t had a good relationship, especially since Sousuke’s parents cut all ties with a whole branch of the family when their company succeeded. He knows it was largely a move meant to protect themselves from money-hungry people, but in all the months he’s known the Mikoshibas, he’s only known them to be honest and hard-working people.

He likes them. He wants them in his life, especially now.

“How old is Momo now?”

One of the reasons why Sousuke’s parents never let him interact with his cousins before was because Sei became a single parent right out of college. He’d gotten his girlfriend pregnant, and his girlfriend left the child behind without any way for Sei to contact her. His dad used it as a cautionary tale on how to ruin your life.

Seeing Sei’s life now, he’s not so sure about the validity of that.

“He just turned four!” Sei grins widely and takes out his phone to brandish his wallpaper. “Look! He’s gotten used to running now and it’s _hell_.” He laughs and clicks on his phone to pull up more pictures. “He keeps on sneaking into the backyard to catch insects. My mom hates it.”

Sousuke laughs and lets Sei babble about his son. For the first time in his life, he understands what Sei feels when he coos at a drawing his son makes.

 

* * *

 

 

Even though both Sousuke and Rin wants big parties to treat the orphanage kids and show off Aiichirou to the world, Haruka vetoes most of their plans.

“Do you think it’s a good idea?” he asks Sousuke, with that tone that very clearly says _if you do, you’re stupid_.

“I know,” Sousuke sighs. “It’s a house visit and Aiichirou is shy enough normally that I shouldn’t push him too much.”

“Can’t we invite the kids?” Rin asks, frowning. He looks like he’s seconds away from pouting.

“Makoto said you should think about their feelings,” Haruka says. It’s not as bland as his usual tone. Sousuke might even say it has a gentleness to it.

Rin goes quiet after that, gaze unfocused as if his mind is elsewhere. Haruka watches him for a few seconds before sighing and confirming the other plans with Sousuke.

 

In the end, Sousuke decides on a small family gathering.

Family, in this case, includes a variety of people: the Mikoshibas (who are his only remaining blood relatives), the Matsuokas (who are the closest he had to a family when growing up), and the house staff (who are family in a sense of the word). On Aiichirou’s side, Sousuke invites Haruka and Makoto.

“Are you sure it’s okay that I’m there?” Makoto asks, when Sousuke calls to invite him.

“If you have free time, I’m sure it would make him really happy if you could come,” Sousuke answers. It’s no secret that even though Aiichirou has gotten better with playing with the other kids, ‘Mako’nii’ is still his favorite. That hasn’t changed in the months he’s known them.

“I’ll be there,” Makoto promises. “Do you need any help with the party?”

Sousuke laughs and waves the offer off. He’s learned his lesson. He doesn’t have to pour all his effort and ideas now, since he’ll hopefully have Aiichirou living with him soon. It’s smart to take this slowly so as not to overwhelm Aiichirou the way he was when he saw the room.

 

That said, when the day finally comes, Haruka and Gou still ends up scolding him.

“An _inflatable castle_ ,” Haruka spits the phrase out with disdain. “Really.”

“There’s a ball pit inside,” Gou says in the same tone, although hers is coloured with a bit of amusement. “Aren’t there only two kids coming?”

Despite Haruka and Gou’s disapproval, Sousuke’s proud of his restraint, to be honest. He didn’t get any mascot this time and the party itself is at his back porch instead of the main function hall in the middle of the mansion. There are only a few tables set-up with completely normal tablecloth and table arrangements.

“You’re never too old to play at a ball pit,” Rin says, eyeing the inflatable castle with interest.

“Uh, actually, there’s a weight requirement so…” Sousuke hates being the bearer of bad news, especially since he knows how much Rin loves things like this.

Rin scowls.

“Sorry.”

“It’s like torture,” Rin says. “Tsk, I can’t believe we still haven’t made a ball pit for adults in our office.”

“We try to pretend we’re mature adults who don’t like fun.” It’s how they survived in the company for the past few years.

“We should build one in your house.”

Sousuke grins. “We should.”

“Shouldn’t you get Ai and Makoto now?” Haruka asks, perhaps to stop them from scheming more.

A look at his watch confirms that it’s almost time to drive to the orphanage. He nods and walks off to give some final orders to the house staff before he goes.

 

Aiichirou is calmer when Sousuke sees him. It may be because of Makoto’s calming presence, or because he’s already seen the mansion once. Sousuke hopes it’s more of the latter. It will be nice to have Aiichirou get used to the mansion and the house staff soon. He wants nothing more than for Aiichirou to feel comfortable and welcome in his home.

As they drive away from the orphanage, the three of them chat about Aiichirou’s past few days, with Sousuke very carefully avoiding the topic of what they will do today. Makoto helps by sharing stories from the orphanage. By the time the car is passing through the mansion’s driveway, Aiichirou has relaxed completely and is smiling in excitement at the mansion.

“Where’s everyone?” Aiichirou asks as they walk down the hall.

“They’re waiting for us at the back porch,” Sousuke answers. “Marie’s already prepared lunch for us.”

Aiichirou smiles, bouncing on his heels. He reaches up to clutch on Sousuke’s hand, and then does the same with Makoto’s. Swinging their hands together, he hums a familiar theme song.

Sousuke shares an amused look with Makoto, laughing quietly under his breath.

When Sousuke pushes open the door to the back porch, he hears party poppers being popped and his friends shouting “Happy birthday!”. Aiichirou gasps, staring wide-eyed at the banner hanging by the inflatable castle. He takes one step forward and looks around with a huge smile on his face.

Momo runs up from the middle of the garden, barreling towards them with force. Sousuke has to hold his arm forward to stop his momentum before he can bump into Aiichirou.

“Habby b!!!” Momo exclaims, taking both of Aiichirou’s hands and shaking them enthusiastically.

Aiichirou’s smile turns into a confused little frown. He looks up at Sousuke as if asking who this new person is.

“This is Momotarou. He’s my nephew. Your cousin.”

“My…” He beams. “My cousin?”

“Yeah. He wants to celebrate your birthday with you. Is it okay?”

Aiichirou nods enthusiastically, turning towards Momo to introduce himself. They chat like that while everyone watches on in amusement. From where Sousuke is standing, he can see Sei walking closer and Marie taking out a video camera to record Aiichirou.

“Sou! Sou!”

Momo jumps up and down to try and get Sousuke’s attention. One of his hands is still gripping Aiichirou’s hand, but the other is reaching up to tug at Sousuke.

“Cousi’ tiny!”

Sousuke blinks. “Tiny?”

Momo nods enthusiastically. “Fou’? Fi’?”

“It’s his seventh birthday, Momo,” Sei says as he finally reaches their side.

“Seven?!” Momo’s eyes grow wide as he looks down at Aiichirou and then back up at Sousuke. “Bu’—” He turns towards his dad, lips wobbling as he cries out, “Papa, cousin tiny! Sick?”

“No, baby, you’re just a little big for your age,” Sei explains.

Now that they mention it, Sousuke notices how Momo is almost the same size as Aiichirou even though Momo just turned four years old. Aiichirou, at seven, is small for his age, too. Sousuke knows that Momo is big, but this still makes his worry about Aiichirou’s health. Being sick all the time hasn’t allowed for much growth.

A hand lands on his elbow. Sousuke looks to his side to see Makoto smiling warmly at him.

“This is a day for celebration,” he says, gesturing towards the two children chatting in front of them. “Don’t worry too much. Ai-chan will be fine.”

“Thanks.”

He really doesn’t know how he’ll survive this without Makoto urging him forward. Having a son is worse than inheriting the company too young. This is stressful in a new and terrifying way.

“Aren’t you going to introduce us?” Sei asks.

“Ah! Sorry. I was—” He shakes his head to clear his thoughts. “Sei, this is Makoto Tachibana, a helper at the orphanage and my friend. Makoto, this is Sei, my distant cousin.”

“Was _distant_ necessary?” Sei says, pouting in a way that is completely unsuited for his entire being.

“I don’t want him to think we’re closely related,” Sousuke jokes, laughing when Sei punches him on the side.

“Nice to meet you,” Makoto says, offering a hand. “Your son seems energetic.”

Sei laughs, taking Makoto’s hand to pull him and gather him in a brief hug. He’s always been this overly familiar guy. He’s more similar to Rin than he is to Sousuke.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Sei says when he lets Makoto go.

Momo and Aiichirou are already halfway through the garden by the time Sousuke notices them missing from their side. He watches them go with a mix of relief and apprehension mixing inside him. He wants nothing but for Aiichirou to be accepted by their family, and yet he cannot help but worry about the huge difference between their characters. Momo likes running around and demanding people to join him in catching bugs. Aiichirou barely has the energy to greet Sousuke at the front door of the orphanage when he visits.

“I can hear you thinking,” Sei says, nudging him not-so-gently with an elbow. “Didn’t Makoto just tell you not to worry?”

“Your son is the most hyper child I’ve ever met, and I regularly spend time at an orphanage surrounded by children. Forgive me if I worry.”

“He’s more hyper than Nagisa?” Makoto asks, more amused than curious.

“He learned how to run the same time he learned how to climb trees. He’s never met a tree he didn’t want to climb.” Sousuke remembers seeing Momo trying to climb his bookshelves a few weeks ago, actually.

“It’s perfectly normal,” Sei defends. “Isuzu was that energetic too when she was small.”

“It’s normal for a Mikoshiba, then. You and Isuzu were running laps before you could form sentences. We Yamazakis are…”

“Weak?”

“Hey!” Sousuke kicks him on the shin. “We’re _intellectuals_.”

“Whatever. I’m just saying. You have so much potential, you know? And yet you sit all day. You’re wasting away.”

“Yamazaki-kun’s not—” Makoto speaks up and freezes, then clears his throat. “I think he looks healthy, though?”

Sei grins brightly, moving to stand beside Makoto and throwing an arm around his shoulders. “Oh-ho? You think so? You think he’s fit?”

“I am fit! I go to your gym!” Sousuke exclaims.

“You went once,” Sei dismisses. “It’s a waste of your natural build. Won’t it be cool if Sou has more defined abs?”

Makoto squeaks and goes pale. “No… Please don’t.”

Sousuke laughs and pulls at Makoto lightly to disentangle Sei from him. “Quit traumatizing my friend with your horrible ideas.”

“Traumatizing!” Sei laughs even louder. “Sure, sure, I’ll stop.” He pats Makoto’s shoulder. “Sorry— Ah! Momo, no!” He rushes towards the inflatable castle where Momo is trying to climb the sides of the castle while Aiichirou watches with horrified awe.

“I see what you mean now,” Makoto says after watching Sei coaxing Momo down for a whole minute.

“It makes me a bit a worried.”

“Worried?”

“Well, Aiichirou’s more of an indoor child, right? And Momo’s… like that. I’m worried they won’t be able to play well, or maybe Momo might pull him into playing outside and he’ll be forced to be active and…” Sousuke can feel himself spiralling into anxiety, but all he can think about is how Aiichirou always wants to please people even to the point of exhaustion.

“Calm down,” Makoto says softly. “You’re here to remind him not to overexert. That’ll be your job now, _papa_.”

Sousuke feels himself flush at the word.

“Besides,” Makoto continues, “my siblings were like that too, you know? One’s an indoor type and one’s an outdoor type. You’ll be surprised how well children adapt just so everyone can have fun.”

Wait.

“Sib—?”

“Oh! Rin’s calling us over.” Makoto grins and waves at Rin. “Let’s go.”

 

* * *

 

 

Sousuke accompanies the birthday boy as he goes around the party being greeted by his guests. Everyone personally hands him their gifts, forcing Sousuke to trail after Aiichirou with his arms full of presents. Rin obviously relishes on piling his gifts above the precarious pile already in Sousuke’s arms. He should put some of it down at the table, but Aiichirou looks at him like he’s superhuman for doing this much, so he sucks it up and follows.

“I can—” Aiichirou raises his arms as if saying he will help carry them on his own.

“It’s fine,” Sousuke says. “I’m really strong.”

Aiichirou’s bright smile full of pride gives Sousuke enough strength to go on.

* * *

 

Later, when all the festivities has ended, Sousuke and Aiichirou ends up at the lounge while the house staff are cleaning up at the porch.

“How was it? Did you enjoy your birthday?”

Aiichirou nods enthusiastically. He looks tired, but it’s a good tired. His smile is not strained. He slumps on the couch comfortably.

Sousuke relishes on it. He relaxes as well and pulls out his phone to send thank you e-mails to everyone who came for the party.

A grandfather clock somewhere out in the hallway chimes.

When Sousuke looks up, he sees Aiichirou wearing a stricken expression, as if the sound is some kind of ominous sign.

“Hey,” he says, “it’s just the clock.”

“Are we going back now?” Aiichirou asks, looking up at Sousuke with a frown. He looks tense again. “There were 6 sounds, and that means…”

They went back to the orphanage last time at 6 pm, because Sousuke was only given half a day for his first house visit. Makoto helped him get an overnight this time, but they didn’t tell Aiichirou yet since Sousuke wanted it as a surprise.

Making the birthday boy anxious like this is  _ not _ the surprise he wanted.

“You can sleep in your room tonight,” Sousuke says.

“Really?”

“Really.”

Aiichirou relaxes a fraction, but he quietly asks, “And tomorrow…?”

“I’ll bring you back to the orphanage,” Sousuke answers. When he sees Aiichirou’s lip wobble, he adds, “It’s temporary, okay? We’ll be finished with the papers soon. You’ll come home here soon. I promise.”

“Come home…” Aiichirou says, looking down at his lap. “You promise?”

“I promise,” Sousuke says. “Your room will be waiting for you.”

* * *

 

"Ai-chan's sleeping?"

Sousuke closes the door to his office and sits down on his chair. He grips his phone to make sure it isn't dislodged from where it was pressed between his shoulder and ear. There's deep exhaustion settling down his bones, but the satisfaction he feels from the party is enough to keep him awake. Makoto's usual steady voice is sending him closer to sleep, though.

"Are you sleeping now, too?" There's a huff of amusement from the other line.

"Not sleeping yet," Sousuke mumbles. "I'm in my office."

"You should go to bed," Makoto says. "Even I'm tired after watching Momo run around your backyard."

"Then you go to bed."

"We're not talking about me right now," Makoto dismisses. "Sousuke, come on."

"We should talk about you," Sousuke says, remembering something from earlier. "You mentioned siblings. I can't sleep without knowing what that means. You never mentioned siblings."

Makoto laughs, possibly because Sousuke sounds half-drunk from tiredness. "I have twin siblings," he says.

"And?" There should be more to that, right? Makoto's working multiple jobs everyday outside of helping out at the orphanage. He sleeps at the orphanage and he's never mentioned siblings. If he was adopted, he wouldn't still be in the orphanage, right? Aiichirou would have told Sousuke that.

"Biological siblings," Makoto clarifies. "I guess legally they aren't my siblings anymore?" He says it lightly, with no heavy emotions under it. "They're legally Nanase Ran and Ren now."

Sousuke feels more awake now. "Haruka's Nanase?"

"Yeah. They're, well, according to the family register, they're Haru's uncle and aunt, but they're basically siblings. Haru's grandma brought them up together."

"Oh." What does he say to that?

"It's a bit complicated, isn't it?" Makoto laughs.

"Is that how you met Haru?"

"No. We were already best friends by then."

Because he's still a little sleepy, his mind filter completely misses and he says, "Then why didn't you get adopted?" He freezes, then adds, "Sorry."

"It's fine," Makoto says, still soft and nice and way too kind. "I didn't want to get adopted. I remembered my parents, and I didn't want to be a Nanase, so..."

"Oh." It was his choice to stay as a Tachibana, then. That changes so much about how Sousuke thinks of Makoto. Instead of being this pitiful guy who was never adopted, he's someone who sticks to his principles even if the road is hard.

"You should really sleep," Makoto says, softer this time.

Sousuke nods. "I should. You should, too. Good night, Makoto."

"Good night, Sousuke."

 


End file.
